Child Care Cost
Child care cost is based on the age of the child in a licensed center. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, child care is considered affordable if it does not exceed 7% of a household’s income. Quality child care and early education is fundamental to a child’s health, development, and learning. Additionally, affordable and quality child care is essential to family economic mobility and a thriving workforce.
In the last 5 years, child care has been far from affordable for many families. Child care prices rose significantly for infants and toddlers from 2018 to 2022. A working family with one infant and one toddler making the median income in 2022 would have to spend 38% of their income on child care.
In 2022, the state average price of child care for one toddler was $15,200, which equates to 17% of the median household income. The situation is worse for infants. The price for infant care is $19,100, which is 17% of the median household income in 2022.
Child care costs also differ across geography and race. In Ferry, Grays Harbor, Pacific, Wahkiakum, and Whitman counties, the cost of a toddler in a licensed center is 23% of the median household’s income. The child care burden is lowest in Benton County at 14%, but this is double the child care affordability threshold of 7%. Because of the income disparities in race, the high cost of child care place different levels of burden across racial groups. The burden is highest for American Indian or Alaska Native families where the cost of a toddler in a licensed center is 27% of the median household’s income.
Share of child care over income data is calculated by dividing the annual median cost of child care by the annual median income.
Cost of child care data by Child Care Aware of Washington is self-reported from child care providers.
The cost of child care in centers was chosen over family homes because substantially more Washingtonian children have traditionally been and continue to be enrolled in licensed centers than family homes.
Child care costs from Child Care Aware of Washington and DCYF Market rate Survey are based off self-reported costs from providers. Not every provider self-reports its costs.
Household income is based on ACS 5-year estimates. ACS-year estimate data are chosen over ACS 1-year estimate data because they are generally considered as more reliable for small populations and allow for the analysis of data across all 39 counties.