--- title: The States with the Most and Least Affordable Child Care description: The States with the Most and Least Affordable Child Care --- [![Child Care Aware of America Logo](https://info.childcareaware.org/hs-fs/hubfs/social-suggested-images/usachildcareaware.site-ym.comgraphicslogo-new.png?width=690&height=350&name=usachildcareaware.site-ym.comgraphicslogo-new.png "Child Care Aware of America Logo")](https://www.childcareaware.org/) - [English ](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/the-states-with-the-most-and-least-affordable-child-care#) - [Español (Spanish) ](https://www.childcareaware.org/?lang=es) - [Child Care Career Center](http://careers.childcareaware.org/) - [Help for Military/DoD Families](https://www.childcareaware.org/fee-assistancerespite/) Search ![CCA Logo/Homepage link](https://info.childcareaware.org/hubfs/ChildCareAware_October2019%20Theme/Images/menu_img.png) ## Media Center For media requests, please call 703-341-4161 or email [news@usa.childcareaware.org](mailto:news@usa.childcareaware.org). # The States with the Most and Least Affordable Child Care March 31, 2022 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) U.S. News & World Report Child care is one of the biggest expenses for working parents. In over half of states, full-time care for an infant costs more than college tuition, according to Child Care Aware of America, an organization that advocates for more affordable child care. But costs vary hugely depending on where you are in the country, from around $5,400 a year to take care of a 4-year-old in Mississippi to almost $17,000 a year in Massachusetts. “A lot of parents would like to send their children to a formal, paid child care program, where they could get a really good foundation for kindergarten, but parents can’t afford what it would actually cost to provide that kind of care,” says Kristina Haynie, a data analyst at Child Care Aware. What makes something affordable, of course, depends on how much a family makes and what kind of care they need. Caring for babies costs more than caring for toddlers, and a daycare center may charge more than someone offering care out of their home. In a[ report](https://www.childcareaware.org/demanding-change-repairing-our-child-care-system/) released in February, Child Care Aware ranked states by affordability by calculating the average price for full-time care in 2020 and comparing that to median incomes for single and married parents. [Read the full article.](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2022-03-31/states-with-highest-and-lowest-cost-of-daycare)   Topics: [Media Mention](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/tag/media-mention) ### Written by [CCAoA](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/author/ccaoa) Previous Post [The cost of childcare: How to fix a system on the brink](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/the-cost-of-childcare-how-to-fix-a-system-on-the-brink) Next Post [The American Rescue Plan’s Child Care Test Run](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/the-american-rescue-plans-child-care-test-run) ### Types of Media - [Media Mention (94)](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/tag/media-mention) - [News (7)](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/tag/news) - [Policy & Advocacy (5)](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/tag/policy-advocacy) - [Press (53)](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/tag/press) - [Press Release (42)](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/tag/press-release) - [Provider Appreciation Day 2025 (1)](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/tag/provider-appreciation-day-2025) - [Workforce (1)](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/tag/workforce) [See all](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/the-states-with-the-most-and-least-affordable-child-care#) ** ![CCA Logo/Homepage link](https://www.childcareaware.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/logo-footer.png)![CCA Logo/Homepage link](https://www.childcareaware.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/logo-footer.png) ** Military Families × Close Panel ** ### Military Families × Close Panel ** × Close Panel