Examining US Childcare Affordability

Affordable and accessible childcare is a nationwide issue. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines childcare as affordable if it costs no more than 7% of annual household income. Click around on the states below to see if this benchmark was within reach for most Americans in 2022. According to the National Database on Childcare Prices, "center" data represents childcare provided in commercial buildings, serving multiple groups or classrooms of similarly aged children. Regulated "family" childcare homes typically care for small groups of children in a residential building, such as a house, apartment, or condo unit.

In the years since 2022, cost of living related expenses have exploded. Childcare costs in particular have continued to soar across the country, with the exception of New Mexico, which has become the first state to offer free childcare to all residents. Trying to disentangle drivers of cost can be quite complicated. West Virginia University ranked states by how legally restrictive their operating requirements for childcare establishments are. Meanwhile, the Childcare Aware of America is an advocacy group that did a ranking of states for childcare center quality, considering many of the same criteria as WVU. Try out the map's dropdown menu and to explore the complex and at times tenous relationship between regulation, quality, and affordability.

Reliable, quality childcare is necessary for the health and flourishing of our nation's families. How do you think its absence is affecting your community?