Daycare cost
How much does daycare cost?
Full-time infant care at a US daycare center cost a median of $174 a week, about $754 a month, in the latest federal county survey. Daycares that post their rates online charge more: a median of $315 a week for infants and $230 for preschoolers.
- a week, center infant care, county survey
- $174
- a week, home daycare infant care, county survey
- $143
- a week, infant rate posted by daycares
- $315
- a week, preschool rate posted by daycares
- $230
Map of US states shaded by the weekly price of center infant care (middle county). The table of states below links to each state page.
By age
Daycare prices by age in the US
Weekly prices for full-time care. The county survey figures are the middle US county; the posted figures are the middle rate on daycare websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $174 | $143 | $315Middle half $250 to $398 · 1,377 daycares |
| Toddler | $153 | $132 | $280Middle half $219 to $365 · 1,625 daycares |
| Preschool | $144 | $131 | $230Middle half $160 to $307 · 2,545 daycares |
| School ageOften before and after school only | $120 | $118 | $130Middle half $90 to $190 · 1,035 daycares |
County survey: U.S. Department of Labor, 2022, the median of 2,661 county medians in 44 states and DC (no 2022 prices for 6 states). Posted: one full-time rate per daycare, read in 2026, from 3,267 daycare websites (95.3% of them centers); half-day, part-week and school-year rates left out.
Reading the numbers
Why the two figures differ
The 2022 figure comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices. It is the middle of 2,661 county prices, each built from state surveys of what providers charge. Every county counts the same, so small rural counties, where care tends to cost less, weigh as much as big cities.
The 2026 figure is the middle full-time rate among 3,267 daycares that publish prices on their own websites. Those are mostly centers (95.3%), many in metro areas, and their prices are four years newer. That is why posted rates run well above the survey: $315 against $174 a week for infants, and $230 against $144 for preschoolers.
Neither number is what one particular daycare will charge you. Use your state's page to see the range by county, then ask each daycare for its current rate.
By state
Daycare cost by state
Weekly prices, A to Z. Each state page has the prices for every county.
| State | Center infant, county survey | Center preschool, county survey | Posted infant | Posted preschool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $135 | $125 | $222 | $175 |
| Alaska | $296 | $250 | Too few | Too few |
| Arizona | $215 | $162 | Too few | $205 |
| Arkansas | Not in survey | Not in survey | Too few | Too few |
| California | $353 | $190 | $446 | $312 |
| Colorado | $235 | $202 | Too few | Too few |
| Connecticut | $320 | $252 | Too few | $317 |
| Delaware | $182 | $145 | Too few | Too few |
| District of Columbia | $490 | $392 | Too few | Too few |
| Florida | $200 | $155 | $300 | $210 |
| Georgia | $108 | $102 | $250 | $210 |
| Hawaii | $306 | $190 | Too few | Too few |
| Idaho | $127 | $113 | Too few | Too few |
| Illinois | $234 | $172 | $340 | $230 |
| Indiana | Not in survey | Not in survey | $250 | $195 |
| Iowa | $160 | $138 | Too few | $200 |
| Kansas | $96 | $98 | Too few | $175 |
| Kentucky | $128 | $120 | Too few | Too few |
| Louisiana | $143 | $137 | Too few | Too few |
| Maine | $225 | $188 | Too few | Too few |
| Maryland | $254 | $175 | Too few | Too few |
| Massachusetts | $352 | $270 | $488 | $332 |
| Michigan | $136 | $135 | Too few | $250 |
| Minnesota | $211 | $182 | $410 | $290 |
| Mississippi | $118 | $107 | Too few | Too few |
| Missouri | Not in survey | Not in survey | $308 | $185 |
| Montana | $218 | $195 | Too few | Too few |
| Nebraska | $187 | $162 | Too few | Too few |
| Nevada | $184 | $150 | Too few | Too few |
| New Hampshire | $286 | $238 | Too few | Too few |
| New Jersey | $304 | $296 | Too few | $291 |
| New Mexico | Not in survey | Not in survey | Too few | Too few |
| New York | $247 | $200 | $404 | $304 |
| North Carolina | $181 | $123 | Too few | Too few |
| North Dakota | $209 | $177 | Too few | Too few |
| Ohio | $222 | $175 | Too few | Too few |
| Oklahoma | $205 | $177 | Too few | Too few |
| Oregon | $197 | $150 | $462 | $242 |
| Pennsylvania | Not in survey | Not in survey | $343 | $288 |
| Rhode Island | $293 | $248 | Too few | Too few |
| South Carolina | $117 | $127 | Too few | $205 |
| South Dakota | $120 | $114 | Too few | Too few |
| Tennessee | $131 | $110 | $289 | $220 |
| Texas | $144 | $133 | $254 | $200 |
| Utah | $226 | $168 | Too few | Too few |
| Vermont | Not in survey | Not in survey | Too few | Too few |
| Virginia | $191 | $141 | $310 | $199 |
| Washington | $328 | $249 | Too few | $368 |
| West Virginia | $173 | $166 | Too few | Too few |
| Wisconsin | $210 | $190 | $350 | $265 |
| Wyoming | $158 | $139 | Too few | Too few |
The state you live in moves the price more than anything else. In 2022, center infant care at the middle county price ran from $96 a week in Kansas to $353 in California, $352 in Massachusetts and $490 in the District of Columbia.
Six states have no 2022 county prices in the federal database: Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Vermont. The pages for Indiana, Missouri and Pennsylvania show the rates their daycares post instead.
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
Every state runs a child care assistance program that helps families with lower incomes pay for care; find daycares that accept child care assistance. Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify and serve children from birth to age 5, and many school districts offer free pre-K for 4-year-olds.
Home daycares usually cost a little less than centers: $143 a week for infant care at the 2022 middle-county price, against $174 at a center. Part-time schedules, sibling discounts and employer child care benefits can lower the bill too; ask each daycare what it offers.
Questions
Questions about daycare cost
How much does daycare cost per month?
About $754 a month for full-time infant care at a center, at the 2022 middle-county price of $174 a week. At the rates daycares post in 2026, infant care runs about $1,365 a month and preschool about $997 a month.
How much does daycare cost per week?
In 2022, the middle US county charged $174 a week for center infant care, $153 for toddlers and $144 for preschoolers. Daycares that post rates in 2026 charge a median of $315 a week for infants, $280 for toddlers and $230 for preschoolers.
How much does infant daycare cost a year?
About $9,048 a year at the 2022 middle-county price for center infant care, and about $16,380 a year at the median rate daycares post in 2026.
Does home daycare cost less than a center?
Usually a little. At the 2022 middle-county price, infant care cost $143 a week in a home daycare and $174 at a center; preschool cost $131 and $144.
Why is the price on a daycare's website higher than these figures?
The county figures are from 2022 and weigh every county the same, while the daycares that post prices online are mostly centers, often in metro areas, with 2026 prices. Ask each daycare for its current rate for your child's age and schedule.
We are a directory, not the daycare. Each daycare sets its own prices; ask for the current rate for your child's age and schedule.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices (2022 county prices and household incomes); rates posted on daycare websites, read in 2026.