2026 update: this page uses the latest data available: Child Care Aware of America’s Child Care in America: 2025 Price & Supply report (published May 2026), which covers 2025 prices in the 47 states that reported price data.
The national average price of child care in the U.S. was $13,184 a year in 2025, according to Child Care Aware of America. That figure blends infant and preschool care in centers and homes. Prices for the most expensive type, full-time infant care in a child care center ranged from $6,492 a year in Mississippi to $27,067 in Massachusetts.Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA), a national nonprofit, collects price data each year from state agencies and child care resource and referral agencies. Its 2025 Price & Supply report found the national average rose slightly from $13,128 in 2024. From 2021 to 2025, child care prices rose 23%, about the same as overall inflation (24%) over that period.
Use the national number carefully. CCAoA itself “generally does not recommend using a national average of child care prices, and particularly not as a standard of comparison with any state’s average prices,” because each state’s child care market is different (CCAoA methodology). The $13,184 figure is the average of three different calculation methods, and state-level prices for your child’s age and type of care are more useful for budgeting.
Data breakdown: what child care costs, by state
Average annual price of full-time, center-based care for an infant, 2025:
| Most expensive states | Infant care in a center | Least expensive states | Infant care in a center |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $27,067 | Mississippi | $6,492 |
| Hawaii | $25,096 | Alabama | $8,859 |
| Washington | $23,136 | South Dakota | $8,859 |
| California | $23,071 | West Virginia | $9,339 |
| Oregon | $21,774 | Arkansas | $9,727 |
Source: Child Care Aware of America, 2025 state price tables. Child Care Aware footnotes some states’ figures; see the source for details. 47 states reported price data; Colorado, New Mexico, South Carolina and Washington, D.C., did not.
Care for older children costs less. For a 4-year-old in a center, state averages ranged from $6,240 in Mississippi to $21,364 in Massachusetts. Family child care homes (care in a provider’s home) are usually cheaper than centers: infant care in a family child care home averaged $4,884 a year in Mississippi and $20,321 in Oregon, the high end among the 46 states reporting home-based prices (CCAoA).
How the national average is calculated
| Method | What it does | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Average of averages | Weights every state equally | $12,609 |
| Space-weighted average | Weights states by licensed child care slots | $13,298 |
| Program-weighted average | Weights states by number of programs | $13,644 |
| National average (mean of the three) | $13,184 |
Source: Child Care Aware of America, 2025. Based on infant and 4-year-old care in centers and family child care homes.
Child care vs. rent, mortgages and college
- More than rent in every state with data. Center-based care for two children (an infant and a 4-year-old) cost more than median rent in all 47 states with price data, and more than the typical mortgage payment in 39 of them. The two-child price ranged from $12,732 a year in Mississippi to $48,431 in Massachusetts.
- More than college in most states. Infant care in a center cost more than average in-state public college tuition and fees in 38 of the 47 states, by our tally of Child Care Aware’s state tables.
- A big share of income. The national average price equals about 10% of the median income of a married couple with children, and about 33% of the median income of a single parent.
Source: CCAoA 2025 affordability tables and report summary. The state counts are our tally of CCAoA’s published state tables.
What parents say about child care
Cost is the No. 1 problem. In Pew Research Center’s 2026 survey of working parents, parents at every income level said cost is the biggest hurdle in finding child care. Lower- and middle-income parents were more likely to rely on family, friends or neighbors, while most upper-income parents used paid care like daycare or preschool (Pew Research Center, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
How much does child care cost per year?
The latest national figure is $13,184 a year, the average price of child care in 2025 according to Child Care Aware of America. State averages for full-time infant care in a center ranged from $6,492 (Mississippi) to $27,067 (Massachusetts).
What is the most expensive state for child care?
Massachusetts, where full-time infant care in a center averaged $27,067 a year in 2025, followed by Hawaii ($25,096) and Washington ($23,136), according to Child Care Aware of America.
What is the cheapest state for child care?
Mississippi, where full-time infant care in a center averaged $6,492 a year in 2025, according to Child Care Aware of America.
Does child care cost more than rent?
Yes. In 2025, center-based care for an infant and a 4-year-old cost more than median rent in all 47 states with price data, and more than the typical mortgage payment in 39 states (Child Care Aware of America).
Has child care gotten more expensive?
Yes, roughly in line with inflation. Child Care Aware of America found child care prices rose 23% from 2021 to 2025, while overall prices rose 24%. The national average went from $13,128 in 2024 to $13,184 in 2025.
Related: Working dads statistics · Paternity leave statistics · How many fathers are stay-at-home dads?
Sources
- Child Care Aware of America — Child Care in America: 2025 Price & Supply (May 2026) — National average price, methods, price vs. inflation
- Child Care Aware of America — Child Care Affordability Analysis, 2025 — State prices by age and setting; comparisons with rent, mortgage and college tuition
- Child Care Aware of America — CCAoA’s Methodology (2025) — Caveats on national averages
- Pew Research Center — For Working Parents, the Boundary Between Work and Family Is Often Blurred (June 16, 2026) — Child care challenges by income
