Access to child care is foundational for children’s development, families’ financial security, and the overall growth and health of our economy. Child care allows parents, especially women, to participate in the labor force, which promotes their family’s economic security. It increases workers’ productivity, contributing to the growth of the overall economy. And it sets children up for success in school, as quality education in children’s first years yields long-term positive outcomes on their health, education, and employment.

Unfortunately, child care is also deeply unaffordable. A family would need to make over $180,000 per year to reasonably afford the national cost of infant care.[i]

Read the factsheet or click on the map below to learn the cost of child care in your state.

Source: National Women’s Law Center calculations based on average of full-time center based and full-time family-based care for infants using Child Care Aware, “Price of Care: 2023,” https://info.childcareaware.org/hubfs/2023_Affordability_Analysis.pdf. Annual income necessary to afford infant child care is the pre-tax income necessary for child care cost for one child to be only 7% of pre-tax income. Hourly wage translation is for a single full-time, year-round worker (40 hours per week and 52 weeks per year for a total of 2080 hours per year).