Maps

Mapped: Daycare Costs by State

Published

3 weeks ago

April 23, 2025

Bruno Venditti

Graphics/Design:

Anna Diederichs

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

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Mapped: Daycare Costs by State

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

As trade tensions rise and tariffs threaten to push prices higher across key sectors, American families are already grappling with one of the biggest household expenses—child care.

This map breaks down the monthly cost of daycare in each U.S. state, revealing how wide the gap is between the most and least affordable regions.

Key Takeaways

📊 National average daycare cost: $1,039/month or $12,472/year
💸 Most expensive: Washington D.C., Massachusetts, Minnesota
💰 Least expensive: Mississippi, South Dakota, Alabama

Where Does Childcare Cost the Most?

In places like Washington D.C., daycare costs rival a second rent payment. Families in the capital pay nearly double the national average.

Other high-cost states, including Massachusetts and Minnesota, where higher wages and demand often drive up service prices, including child care.

State/District	2023 Monthly Cost
District of Columbia	$1,912
Massachusetts	$1,727
Minnesota	$1,500
Vermont	$1,459
New Jersey	$1,431
Hawaii	$1,426
Washington	$1,409
Colorado	$1,404
Connecticut	$1,367
California	$1,362
New York	$1,356
Maryland	$1,285
Oregon	$1,270
New Hampshire	$1,259
Rhode Island	$1,236
Alaska	$1,151
Wisconsin	$1,112
Pennsylvania	$1,108
Illinois	$1,097
Delaware	$1,096
Virginia	$1,094
Nevada	$1,046
Arizona	$1,040
National Average	$1,039
Ohio	$1,028
Nebraska	$984
Indiana	$965
New Mexico	$959
Missouri	$941
Montana	$913
Maine	$887
Florida	$876
North Dakota	$854
Tennessee	$854
Georgia	$848
Michigan	$837
Kansas	$836
Utah	$833
North Carolina	$832
Oklahoma	$821
Texas	$818
Iowa	$791
Wyoming	$777
South Carolina	$771
West Virginia	$761
Idaho	$720
Louisiana	$720
Arkansas	$712
Kentucky	$689
Alabama	$637
South Dakota	$624
Mississippi	$568

More Affordable—But Not Necessarily Easier

At the other end of the spectrum, states like Mississippi, South Dakota, and Alabama offer more affordable care. But these prices may come with trade-offs—limited availability, longer waitlists, or fewer providers in rural areas.

The average cost in Mississippi, for example, is $568/month, less than a third of D.C.’s rate.

What’s Behind the Costs?

FinanceBuzz analyzed annual child care costs in each U.S. state using data from Child Care Aware of America and the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Database of Childcare Prices. These sources provided annual reports and cost data, which were averaged to calculate a general “child care cost” for each state.

To determine the national inflation rate, FinanceBuzz used the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI Inflation Calculator.