Estimate the cost of child care services in the United States including daycare centers, family child care, nannies, and au pairs based on your location, number of children, and care schedule using the latest Care.com and state-specific data.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers child care affordable if it costs no more than 7% of household income.
About Childcare Cost Calculator
Child care is one of the largest expenses for American families with young children, often rivaling housing costs and college tuition. According to Care.com's 2024 Cost of Care Report, the average weekly cost for infant care at a daycare center in the United States is $321 per week, or nearly $16,700 per year. For many families, child care consumes 10-20% of household income, far exceeding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services affordability threshold of 7%. This childcare cost calculator provides personalized estimates based on your child's age, type of care, location, number of children, and household income, helping you plan your family budget and compare care options before making one of the biggest financial decisions of your parenting journey.
When to Use This Calculator
Use this calculator during pregnancy or soon after birth to plan for the significant recurring expense of child care before you need it. Use it when considering a job change or deciding whether to return to work after parental leave — knowing your net income after child care costs can inform whether working or staying home is financially advantageous for your family. Use it when comparing different care options in your area, as the cost difference between a daycare center and a nanny can be $10,000-20,000 per year per child. Use it when moving to a new state or city, since child care costs can vary by 60-80% between high-cost and low-cost states. Use it when creating your annual family budget to ensure child care costs are accurately accounted for and to identify potential savings through flexible spending accounts (FSAs) or dependent care tax credits that can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses.
How to Interpret Your Results
For a family in the Northeast with one infant attending a child care center full-time (5 days/week), the expected cost is approximately $400-480 per week, $1,600-1,900 per month, and $19,200-22,800 per year. For a toddler in a family child care program in the Midwest attending 3 days per week, the cost drops to roughly $200-260 per week, $800-1,040 per month, and $9,600-12,500 per year. A family with two children in center-based care in the West Coast can expect to pay over $30,000-40,000 per year total, often exceeding rent or mortgage payments. The cost from birth to kindergarten for one child in center-based care in an average-cost region totals approximately $60,000-80,000, before accounting for inflation. If you entered your household income, the calculator shows the percentage devoted to child care. Any figure exceeding 7% is considered cost-burdened by the HHS, and figures above 15-20% may warrant exploring alternative arrangements like family child care, nanny shares, or a parent reducing work hours.
How to Use This Calculator
Start by selecting the age group of your child — infant care is the most expensive due to the higher staff-to-child ratios required by state licensing regulations, while school-age care is the most affordable. Choose the type of care: child care centers are licensed facilities that follow state regulations and typically offer structured programs; family child care is run out of a provider's home and tends to be more affordable and flexible; nannies provide one-on-one care in your home but cost significantly more; au pairs are live-in caregivers from abroad with a fixed program cost. Enter the number of children you need care for, as sibling discounts of 10-25% are common at centers and family care. Select days per week since part-time care is typically prorated but at a higher per-day rate. Choose your state or region — child care costs vary dramatically across the country. Optionally enter your household income to see what percentage of your income goes to child care, which helps evaluate whether a non-working parent staying home makes financial sense.
How much does child care cost per week in the United States?
According to Care.com's 2024 Cost of Care Report, the national average weekly cost for infant care at a child care center is $321 per week, or approximately $16,700 per year. Toddler care averages $282 per week, preschool averages $231 per week, and school-age care averages $188 per week. Family child care homes are typically 15-25% less expensive than centers, averaging $250-280 per week for infants. Nannies are the most expensive option at an average of $736 per week for one child, but this includes personalized care in your home. Au pairs are a more affordable live-in option with a fixed program cost of approximately $200-400 per week. These national averages mask enormous geographic variation: infant center care in Massachusetts averages $400-500 per week, while the same care in Mississippi averages $160-200 per week.
What percentage of income should go to child care?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defines affordable child care as costing no more than 7% of a family's annual household income. However, the vast majority of American families far exceed this threshold. According to a 2023 report from the Department of Labor, families with young children spend an average of 13-20% of their income on child care, with lower-income families spending as much as 35%. In high-cost states like Massachusetts, New York, and California, a family earning the median income of $85,000 would spend 18-25% of their pre-tax income on center-based infant care alone. For families with two or more children in care, the percentage can exceed 30-40%, creating situations where a parent's entire income is consumed by child care expenses, making the decision to leave the workforce or reduce hours a financially rational choice despite the long-term career impacts.
Are there tax credits or assistance programs for child care costs?
Yes, there are several tax benefits and assistance programs available to help offset child care costs in the United States. The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) allows families to claim up to $3,000 in expenses for one child or $6,000 for two or more children, receiving a tax credit of 20-35% of those expenses depending on income. A Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) allows you to set aside up to $5,000 per household in pre-tax dollars specifically for child care, saving roughly $1,000-1,500 in taxes annually depending on your tax bracket. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) provides up to $2,000 per qualifying child, which is partially refundable. At the state level, many states offer additional child care tax credits or deductions, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) provides subsidized child care for low-income families through local agencies. Military families may qualify for fee assistance through the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood program.
How does the cost of a nanny compare to a daycare center?
Nannies are significantly more expensive than daycare centers on a per-child basis but offer advantages that may justify the cost for some families. The average nanny cost in the United States is $736 per week for one child, compared to $321 per week for center-based infant care, making nannies roughly 2.3 times more expensive. However, for families with two or more children, the gap narrows considerably since nannies charge a flat rate regardless of the number of children (typically $1-3 more per hour for additional children), while center costs multiply per child. A family with two children in center care would pay approximately $600-700 per week, while a nanny would charge roughly $750-850 per week for both children, making the difference much smaller. Nannies also eliminate commuting time, reduce illness exposure, provide more flexibility with hours, and offer personalized attention and developmental activities. Families should also consider that nannies require paying employment taxes including Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance, which adds approximately 10-12% to the gross cost.
Why is child care so expensive and why are costs rising?
Child care is expensive primarily because it is an extremely labor-intensive industry with strict regulatory requirements. Child care centers must maintain specific staff-to-child ratios — for infants, this is typically 1:4 in most states, meaning one caregiver for every four babies. Since labor costs account for 70-80% of a child care center's operating budget and staff must be qualified, the cost per child is necessarily high. Rent, insurance, licensing fees, food, and educational materials add additional overhead. Costs are rising 3-5% annually, outpacing general inflation, due to increasing minimum wages, rising rent costs in commercial spaces, climbing liability insurance premiums, and growing demand for higher-quality early childhood education programs. Unlike many industries, child care providers cannot easily offset rising costs through automation or efficiency gains since the core service is human care. Additionally, federal child care funding that temporarily stabilized many programs during the pandemic expired in 2023, leading to higher tuition rates as providers lost those subsidies.
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