Data report · Oct 7, 2026
State of US Child Care 2026
What families pay, what daycares tell parents, and what state inspectors write down, from federal price data, state license and inspection records and the websites of more than 40,000 daycares.
- a week for center infant care, 2022 county median
- $174
- a week, posted infant rates in 2026
- $315
- daycare websites read
- 40,000+
- inspection visits in two years
- 489,000+
Key findings
- Infant care at a center cost more than 20% of the local median household income in 351 of 2,661 counties in 2022.
- The median 2022 county price for center infant care in California, $353 a week, was 3.7 times the Kansas median of $96.
- Only 3.8% of the daycare websites we read post a staff-to-child ratio, and 3.3% mention cameras or live video.
- Health, medication and illness rules were among the three most cited categories in 21 of the 25 jurisdictions that publish what inspectors cite.
- 47.6% of daycares with hours on their state record open before 7 AM; 7.3% list Saturday or Sunday care.
Finding 1
What child care costs
A full-time week of center care for an infant cost a median of $174 across 2,661 US counties in 2022, the latest year of the U.S. Department of Labor's county survey, and $144 for a preschooler.
Home daycares charged less for every age. The 2022 county median for infant care in a licensed home was $143 a week, $31 or 18% below a center. For school-age children the gap nearly closes: $118 in a home against $120 in a center.
Age matters more than setting. Care for babies costs most because states require more adults per child, and the price falls as children grow: $174 for an infant at a center, $153 for a toddler, $144 for a preschooler and $120 for a school-age child in 2022.
Across a year, the 2022 county median for center infant care came to $9,048, about 15.0% of the median household income in those counties. In 351 of 2,661 counties, it took more than 20% of that income.
- Child care center
- Licensed home daycare
Median of county medians, U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022. Full-time care.
The spread across states
Where you live changes the price more than anything else. The 2022 median county price for center infant care ran from $96 a week in Kansas to $353 in California, 3.7 times as much. The District of Columbia, a single county in the survey, reached $490.
The survey has 2022 prices for 44 states and DC. It holds no prices for Pennsylvania, Indiana, Arkansas, Vermont, New Mexico or Missouri, so those states are not in the chart.
Median of each state's county medians, full-time center care for an infant, U.S. Department of Labor, 2022. 45 jurisdictions.
Show the numbers
| State | Counties | Center infant | Center preschool | Home infant | County range, center infant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 1 | $490 | $392 | $400 | $490 to $490 |
| California | 58 | $353 | $190 | $246 | $222 to $607 |
| Massachusetts | 14 | $352 | $270 | $262 | $330 to $590 |
| Washington | 39 | $328 | $249 | $246 | $237 to $478 |
| Connecticut | 8 | $320 | $252 | $245 | $290 to $425 |
| Hawaii | 4 | $306 | $190 | $173 | $202 to $366 |
| New Jersey | 21 | $304 | $296 | $192 | $282 to $327 |
| Alaska | 8 | $296 | $250 | $251 | $155 to $469 |
| Rhode Island | 5 | $293 | $248 | $260 | $290 to $311 |
| New Hampshire | 10 | $286 | $238 | $197 | $269 to $308 |
| Maryland | 24 | $254 | $175 | $177 | $209 to $414 |
| New York | 62 | $247 | $200 | $190 | $247 to $325 |
| Colorado | 62 | $235 | $202 | $187 | $104 to $430 |
| Illinois | 58 | $234 | $172 | $158 | $131 to $374 |
| Utah | 29 | $226 | $168 | $168 | $226 to $229 |
| Maine | 16 | $225 | $188 | $163 | $175 to $262 |
| Ohio | 88 | $222 | $175 | $170 | $174 to $295 |
| Montana | 56 | $218 | $195 | $174 | $197 to $254 |
| Arizona | 15 | $215 | $162 | $175 | $188 to $270 |
| Minnesota | 87 | $211 | $182 | $143 | $167 to $431 |
| Wisconsin | 72 | $210 | $190 | $155 | $182 to $293 |
| North Dakota | 53 | $209 | $177 | $153 | $195 to $240 |
| Oklahoma | 77 | $205 | $177 | $149 | $190 to $231 |
| Florida | 53 | $200 | $155 | $166 | $130 to $305 |
| Oregon | 36 | $197 | $150 | $173 | $197 to $407 |
| Virginia | 133 | $191 | $141 | $158 | $119 to $559 |
| Nebraska | 93 | $187 | $162 | $108 | $187 to $244 |
| Nevada | 17 | $184 | $150 | $129 | $159 to $276 |
| Delaware | 3 | $182 | $145 | $156 | $182 to $280 |
| North Carolina | 99 | $181 | $123 | $151 | $109 to $355 |
| West Virginia | 55 | $173 | $166 | $156 | $144 to $195 |
| Iowa | 99 | $160 | $138 | $106 | $148 to $185 |
| Wyoming | 21 | $158 | $139 | $147 | $110 to $300 |
| Texas | 254 | $144 | $133 | $131 | $113 to $229 |
| Louisiana | 64 | $143 | $137 | $133 | $120 to $160 |
| Michigan | 83 | $136 | $135 | $160 | $107 to $228 |
| Alabama | 67 | $135 | $125 | $129 | $114 to $147 |
| Tennessee | 95 | $131 | $110 | $91 | $112 to $212 |
| Kentucky | 120 | $128 | $120 | $119 | $90 to $222 |
| Idaho | 44 | $127 | $113 | $109 | $106 to $208 |
| South Dakota | 66 | $120 | $114 | $100 | $120 to $178 |
| Mississippi | 82 | $118 | $107 | Not in survey | $110 to $155 |
| South Carolina | 46 | $117 | $127 | $134 | $94 to $222 |
| Georgia | 159 | $108 | $102 | $103 | $103 to $205 |
| Kansas | 105 | $96 | $98 | $98 | $96 to $224 |
What daycares post in 2026
Daycares that publish their rates online ask more. Across 1,377 daycares that post a full-time weekly or monthly rate for an infant, the 2026 median is $315 a week, with half between $250 and $398. For toddlers it is $280 (1,625 daycares), for preschoolers $230 (2,545) and for school-age care $130 (1,035).
That is about 1.8 times the 2022 survey for infants. Three things explain most of the gap. Prices rose: the Consumer Price Index for day care and preschool climbed 22.2% from the 2022 average to August 2026, which turns $174 into about $213. Location: the daycares that post rates sit in pricier counties, where the 2022 survey median was $212, about $259 in 2026 prices. The rest is who posts: 95.3% of rate-posting daycares are centers, and a daycare that keeps a website with a public price list is not a typical daycare.
So read the two numbers as two different things. The county survey is the typical full-time price in each county. Posted rates are what daycares with a website and a public price list ask today.
One rate per daycare per age: its highest full-time weekly or monthly rate, shown per week. Half-day, part-time and school-year plans left out. Bars show the middle half; the dot is the median.
- County survey (2022)
- Posted rates (2026)
Infant care, per week. Rows 2 to 4 use the 743 rate-posting daycares whose license record names a county in the 2022 survey. Price change: Consumer Price Index, day care and preschool (U.S. city average), 2022 annual average to August 2026, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Registration fees are extra: the median one-time fee across 3,558 daycares that post one is $100.
Each state's county prices are in daycare cost by state. Look up your own county with the daycare cost calculator. For help paying, see daycares that accept child care assistance.
Finding 2
What daycare websites say they offer
58.3% of the 40,114 daycare websites we read describe a preschool program and 39.5% describe infant care, but only 21.2% say meals are provided and 3.8% post a staff-to-child ratio.
These shares describe what websites say, not what every daycare does. A daycare that does not mention meals may still serve them. And the websites skew to centers: 93.9% of the daycares whose sites we read are centers, against 60.8% of all the daycares we list.
Parent apps that share photos and daily reports appear on 11.7% of sites, transportation on 9.0% and extended, evening or weekend care on 5.5%. Cameras or live video come up on 3.3%.
On teaching approach, 17.7% of sites describe their program as play-based, 17.3% as faith-based and 9.1% as Montessori. Reggio Emilia (2.8%) and Waldorf (0.6%) are rarer. Accreditation is mentioned on 10.2% of sites; 4.3% say they are NAEYC accredited.
40,114 daycare websites read in 2026. A website that does not mention an item is not a sign the daycare lacks it.
The details that matter most for safety are the ones websites rarely state, so ask on the tour: the ratio in your child's room, who can pick up, and how the door is secured. Montessori preschools and Christian daycares each have their own lists.
Finding 3
How much care is in homes
41.1% of the 200,223 licensed daycares in the state records we hold, from 43 states and DC, are home daycares.
The mix varies widely because states license homes in different ways. In Minnesota 69.4% of listed daycares are homes, in Illinois 66.5% and in Massachusetts 66.1%. In Kentucky the share is 10.0%, in Arkansas 10.3% and in Tennessee 10.8%.
A low share does not mean families there use fewer homes. Many states let a small home care for a few children without a license, and those homes never reach a license list. The state lists we hold for Louisiana, New Jersey and Washington include centers only, so they are left out of the chart.
- Home daycares
- Centers
Open daycares on each state's license list. States whose lists we do not hold, and lists with centers only, are not shown.
Show the numbers
| State | Licensed daycares | Homes | Centers | Home share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 7,811 | 5,420 | 2,391 | 69.4% |
| Illinois | 8,493 | 5,651 | 2,842 | 66.5% |
| Massachusetts | 8,884 | 5,874 | 3,010 | 66.1% |
| New York | 18,819 | 11,811 | 7,008 | 62.8% |
| Maryland | 6,602 | 3,997 | 2,605 | 60.5% |
| Montana | 847 | 506 | 341 | 59.7% |
| West Virginia | 1,183 | 701 | 482 | 59.3% |
| California | 25,828 | 14,877 | 10,951 | 57.6% |
| Nebraska | 2,629 | 1,508 | 1,121 | 57.4% |
| Connecticut | 3,228 | 1,783 | 1,445 | 55.2% |
| Iowa | 3,122 | 1,644 | 1,478 | 52.7% |
| Delaware | 1,189 | 591 | 598 | 49.7% |
| Indiana | 2,967 | 1,465 | 1,502 | 49.4% |
| Utah | 1,749 | 843 | 906 | 48.2% |
| Wisconsin | 4,607 | 2,222 | 2,385 | 48.2% |
| Oklahoma | 2,625 | 1,234 | 1,391 | 47.0% |
| Alaska | 377 | 170 | 207 | 45.1% |
| Maine | 1,365 | 583 | 782 | 42.7% |
| Michigan | 7,685 | 3,151 | 4,534 | 41.0% |
| South Dakota | 698 | 277 | 421 | 39.7% |
| Vermont | 1,041 | 399 | 642 | 38.3% |
| Texas | 14,306 | 4,711 | 9,595 | 32.9% |
| Virginia | 4,997 | 1,528 | 3,469 | 30.6% |
| Hawaii | 685 | 209 | 476 | 30.5% |
| South Carolina | 2,292 | 688 | 1,604 | 30.0% |
| Colorado | 4,335 | 1,287 | 3,048 | 29.7% |
| Wyoming | 486 | 143 | 343 | 29.4% |
| Nevada | 587 | 156 | 431 | 26.6% |
| Idaho | 924 | 237 | 687 | 25.6% |
| Ohio | 7,316 | 1,759 | 5,557 | 24.0% |
| Pennsylvania | 6,471 | 1,516 | 4,955 | 23.4% |
| Missouri | 2,614 | 568 | 2,046 | 21.7% |
| District of Columbia | 452 | 90 | 362 | 19.9% |
| Alabama | 2,286 | 453 | 1,833 | 19.8% |
| North Carolina | 5,047 | 973 | 4,074 | 19.3% |
| Georgia | 6,150 | 980 | 5,170 | 15.9% |
| Florida | 10,171 | 1,151 | 9,020 | 11.3% |
| Arizona | 2,529 | 278 | 2,251 | 11.0% |
| Tennessee | 3,955 | 428 | 3,527 | 10.8% |
| Arkansas | 1,791 | 185 | 1,606 | 10.3% |
| Kentucky | 1,997 | 200 | 1,797 | 10.0% |
Browse home daycares or all daycares by state.
Finding 4
What state inspectors cite
Inspectors in 26 states and DC made 489,363 visits to 118,743 daycares in the two years to October 7, 2026, and the most common rules they cited were about health, medication and illness.
A cited rule is what an inspector found on the day of a visit. It is not a rating of the daycare today. States inspect and cite at different grain, so we do not compare states with each other.
We sorted 591,673 cited rules from the 25 jurisdictions that publish what was cited into 12 plain categories. Because states cite at very different grain, each state counts the same in the national mix below.
Health, medication and illness rules make up 17.3% of a typical state's citations, and they are among the three most cited categories in 21 of 25. Safety and hazards (15.6%) and records and paperwork (14.6%) follow, then staff training and qualifications (13.1%). Supervision and ratios make up 8.5%; safe sleep 2.7%.
10.0% of visits followed a complaint. The rest were routine inspections and other visits such as follow-ups.
Two years of visits to open daycares in 25 jurisdictions that publish the cited rule. Each jurisdiction weighs the same.
Show the numbers
| Category | Share | Cited rules | Among a jurisdiction's three most cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health, medication and illness | 17.3% | 109,838 | 21 of 25 |
| Safety and hazards | 15.6% | 87,060 | 14 of 25 |
| Records and paperwork | 14.6% | 95,648 | 14 of 25 |
| Staff training and qualifications | 13.1% | 82,769 | 11 of 25 |
| Building, equipment and play areas | 10.9% | 61,651 | 8 of 25 |
| Supervision and ratios | 8.5% | 40,878 | 5 of 25 |
| Background checks | 6.2% | 37,112 | 2 of 25 |
| Food and nutrition | 3.9% | 22,205 | 0 of 25 |
| Discipline and child guidance | 3.4% | 18,543 | 0 of 25 |
| Safe sleep | 2.7% | 14,655 | 0 of 25 |
| Other rules | 2.4% | 11,819 | 0 of 25 |
| Transportation | 1.4% | 9,495 | 0 of 25 |
To read one daycare's record, see how to read a daycare inspection report. Each daycare page shows the visits its state lists. For one state's own mix and most cited rules, see inspection reports by state; for the staff-to-child ratios each state sets, see daycare ratios by state.
Finding 5
Hours and availability
47.6% of daycares with hours on their state record open before 7 AM, but only 14.6% stay open to 7 PM or later and 1.64% are open around the clock.
- open before 7 AM
- 47.6%
- open to 7 PM or later
- 14.6%
- list weekend care
- 7.3%
- open 24 hours
- 1.64%
The typical licensed daycare opens at 7:00 AM and closes at 6:00 PM. That is the median across 63,299 daycares whose state record gives regular daytime hours.
Evening and weekend care is mostly in homes. 26.1% of home daycares stay open to 7 PM or later, against 9.8% of centers, and 15.7% of homes list Saturday or Sunday care, against 3.7% of centers. Across all daycares, 7.3% list weekend days.
These shares come from the 18 states and DC whose records give hours for at least half of their daycares (65,070 daycares), and for weekends from the 12 states whose records list days of the week (49,202 daycares).
- Centers
- Home daycares
State records. Evening: open to 7 PM or later, overnight or 24 hours. Weekend: Saturday or Sunday listed.
Find early morning daycare, night daycare, weekend daycare and 24-hour daycare by state and town.
Methodology and sources
County prices come from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices, study year 2022, the latest release: weekly full-time prices for centers and licensed homes by age, built from state market-rate surveys. We report the median of county medians and never means. The survey covers 2,661 counties with center infant prices in 44 states and DC.
Posted 2026 rates come from the websites of daycares we list. We keep one rate per daycare per age (its highest full-time weekly or monthly rate, converted to a week) and leave out part-time, half-day, two to four day and school-year plans. A median is shown only where at least 30 daycares post a rate. North Carolina's posted rates are held back because half-day church preschools dominate them.
Website shares use 40,114 daycares whose own website we read in 2026. Each share is the percent of those websites that state the item.
License mix and hours come from state license records: 200,223 open daycares in 43 states and DC. Hours shares use only states whose records list hours for at least half of their daycares.
Inspections cover visits from October 7, 2024 to October 7, 2026 at open daycares in the 27 jurisdictions whose records we hold. Each cited rule was sorted into one of 12 categories from the rule's text; 2.4% fit none and are counted as other rules. Each daycare page names the state agency behind its record, and the table below lists every state's sources.
Price changes use the Consumer Price Index for day care and preschool (U.S. city average, series CUUR0000SEEB03) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022 annual average to August 2026.
Sources by state
| State | License and inspection agency | Licensed daycares in the records | Inspection visits, two years | 2022 county prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Alaska Department of Health, Child Care Program Office | 377 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Alabama | Alabama Department of Human Resources, Child Care Services Division | 2,286 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Office of Early Childhood | 1,791 | 9,306 | No |
| Arizona | Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Child Care Licensing | 2,529 | 6,724 | Yes |
| California | California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division | 25,828 | 60,455 | Yes |
| Colorado | Colorado Department of Early Childhood | 4,335 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Division of Licensing | 3,228 | 8,950 | Yes |
| District of Columbia | Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Early Learning | 452 | 1,572 | Yes |
| Delaware | Delaware Department of Education, Office of Child Care Licensing | 1,189 | 2,538 | Yes |
| Florida | Florida Department of Children and Families, Office of Child Care Regulation | 10,171 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Georgia | Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning | 6,150 | 16,623 | Yes |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Department of Human Services, Child Care Licensing | 685 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Iowa | Iowa Department of Health and Human Services | 3,122 | 6,954 | Yes |
| Idaho | Idaho Department of Health and Welfare | 924 | 1,450 | Yes |
| Illinois | Illinois Department of Early Childhood | 8,493 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Indiana | Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning | 2,967 | 16,136 | No |
| Kansas | Kansas Office of Early Childhood | Not in our records | Not in our records | Yes |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services | 1,997 | 8,751 | Yes |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Department of Education | 2,503 | 8,005 | Yes |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care | 8,884 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Maryland | Maryland State Department of Education, Office of Child Care | 6,602 | 13,947 | Yes |
| Maine | Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services | 1,365 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Michigan | Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, Child Care Licensing Bureau | 7,685 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families | 7,811 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Missouri | Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Childhood | 2,614 | 7,196 | No |
| Mississippi | Mississippi State Department of Health, Child Care Facilities Licensure | Not in our records | Not in our records | Yes |
| Montana | Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing | 847 | 1,305 | Yes |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education | 5,047 | 29,608 | Yes |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Early Childhood Licensing | Not in our records | Not in our records | Yes |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Services Licensing | 2,629 | Not in our records | Yes |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing Unit | Not in our records | Not in our records | Yes |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Office of Licensing | 4,080 | Not in our records | Yes |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department | Not in our records | Not in our records | No |
| Nevada | Nevada Division of Social Services, Child Care Licensing | 587 | 2,498 | Yes |
| New York | New York State Office of Children and Family Services | 18,819 | 103,508 | Yes |
| Ohio | Ohio Department of Children and Youth | 7,316 | 25,078 | Yes |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Human Services, Child Care Services | 2,625 | 19,090 | Yes |
| Oregon | Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care, Child Care Licensing Division | Not in our records | Not in our records | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning | 6,471 | 20,166 | No |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Department of Human Services, Office of Child Care | Not in our records | Not in our records | Yes |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Department of Social Services, Division of Early Care and Education | 2,292 | 8,322 | Yes |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Department of Social Services, Office of Licensing and Accreditation | 698 | 2,045 | Yes |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Department of Human Services, Child Care Licensing | 3,955 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Texas | Texas Health and Human Services, Child Care Regulation | 14,306 | 73,048 | Yes |
| Utah | Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing | 1,749 | 7,418 | Yes |
| Virginia | Virginia Department of Education, Office of Child Care Health and Safety | 4,997 | 26,191 | Yes |
| Vermont | Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development Division | 1,041 | 2,479 | No |
| Washington | Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families | 2,500 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Department of Children and Families | 4,607 | Not in our records | Yes |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Department of Human Services, Division of Early Care and Education | 1,183 | Not in our records | Yes |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Department of Family Services, Child Care Licensing | 486 | Not in our records | Yes |
Limits: the county survey is four years old and some counties are estimates. Daycares that post rates and keep a website are mostly centers and are not a random sample. State records differ in what they list, so state-to-state differences in license mix and inspections reflect state rules as much as care.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices (2022); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index; state child care licensing agencies in each state named on its daycare pages; daycare websites. See also our data.
Cite this report
DaycarePal. State of US Child Care 2026. October 2026. https://daycarepal.com/reports/state-of-child-care-2026You are welcome to use the charts and numbers with a link to this page. Download the headline tables below.
FAQ
Questions
How much does daycare cost per week in the US?
The 2022 federal county survey puts the median full-time week at $174 for an infant and $144 for a preschooler at a center, about $213 and $176 in 2026 prices. Daycares that post their rates online in 2026 ask a median of $315 for an infant and $230 for a preschooler.
How much does daycare cost per month?
At the 2022 county medians, center care comes to about $754 a month for an infant and $624 for a preschooler. At the 2026 posted medians it is about $1,365 for an infant and $997 for a preschooler.
Is home daycare cheaper than a center?
Usually. In 2022 the county median for infant care was $143 a week in a licensed home and $174 in a center, and home care cost less than center care for infants in 2,273 of 2,555 counties with both prices.
Which states have the highest child care prices?
In the 2022 county survey, the highest state medians for center infant care were in California ($353 a week), Massachusetts ($352), Washington ($328) and Connecticut ($320), with the District of Columbia at $490.