How much does infant daycare cost? Every state, per month

Most daycare cost articles give you 1 national number. That number describes nobody.

The price of the same care changes by more than 4x depending on which state line you live on. So we went to the federal dataset that tracks it state by state and did the per-month math.

We are not going to rank daycares or tell you which one to pick. This is the bill, and the tools that shrink it.

How much does infant daycare cost in the US?

There is no single official number, and the 3 sources we used measure different things. That is why the figures you see online do not match.

The Department of Labor's Women's Bureau publishes the National Database of Childcare Prices. It uses county-level median prices from state market rate surveys and covers 2008 to 2022. The 2024 update analyzed prices in 2,512 counties, and its latest year is 2022.

Child Care Aware of America publishes a yearly price report built from a survey of state agencies and referral networks. Its 2025 report, released May 14, 2026, put the national average price of child care at $13,184 for all ages, and infant center care at $15,015 to $15,728 a year depending on how states are weighted.

Care.com publishes a Cost of Care Report based on rates posted on its site plus a survey of 3,000 parents. Its 2026 report put infant daycare at $332 a week.

Medians and averages are not the same thing. A median is the middle price, so a handful of the priciest centers cannot drag it up the way they drag up an average.

Our registry article uses the Care.com averages, since that report covers nannies too. What to put on a baby registry to save money has that side of the first-year budget.

What does infant daycare cost by state?

Here is every state. Prices are the state median weekly price for full-time infant care in a child care center, from the Labor Department's 2022 state-level estimates. "Infant" in this database means birth through 23 months.

The last column is our estimate of the same price in 2025 dollars, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics price index for day care and preschool. It is a national index, so it cannot show a state where prices moved faster or slower.

6 states have no 2022 figure. The Labor Department's technical report says Indiana's data could not be used because the state only provides reimbursement rates, and the database has no infant center price for New Mexico in any year.

Arkansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Vermont have older figures only. Their latest infant center medians are $147.50 a week for Arkansas (2021), $214.94 for Missouri (2020), $217.90 for Pennsylvania (2020) and $313.12 for Vermont (2021), in the prices of those years. We left them out of the table so every row compares the same year.

The top 5 in 2022 were DC, Massachusetts, Minnesota, California and Colorado. The bottom 5 were Mississippi, Alabama, South Dakota, Kentucky and Louisiana.

DC's median is about 4.1x Mississippi's. Same age, same kind of care, different zip code.

How much is daycare a month?

For an infant in a center, the 3 sources land between about $1,056 and $1,439 a month for 1 child.

• Labor Department, middle state, 2022 prices: $1,056 a month. About $1,236 in 2025 prices using the BLS index.
• Child Care Aware of America, 2025 national average: $1,251 to $1,311 a month, depending on the method.
• Care.com 2026 report, posted rates at 52 weeks: $1,439 a month.

State matters more than source. In 2022 prices, Mississippi's median was $514 a month and Massachusetts was $2,000.

Care often gets billed weekly or by tuition period, not by calendar month. We converted every weekly price the same way: weekly x 52, divided by 12.

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Why does infant daycare cost more than toddler care?

Staffing is the big driver. A center can only put so many babies with 1 adult.

Caring for Our Children, the national health and safety standards published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association and the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education, recommends these limits for centers.

At those limits, 1 teacher covers 3 babies or 8 four-year-olds. Rent and the teacher's pay get split across fewer families in the baby room.

The price data lines up with that. In 2022, the infant center median was higher than the toddler median in 41 of the 45 places with both numbers. It was equal in 3 and lower only in Montana. The middle gap was about $1,196 a year.

Which also means the bill moves when the kid does. The database counts a child as an infant through 23 months. The second birthday does not come with a gift card, but in most states the move to the toddler price comes with a smaller invoice.

Is home daycare cheaper than a daycare center?

In the Labor Department data, almost always. A family child care home is licensed care run out of a provider's home.

Among the 44 places with 2022 infant prices for both settings, the family child care median was lower than the center median in 43. Michigan was the exception, at $182.40 a week for a home and $173.20 for a center.

The middle state's family child care median worked out to about $9,403 a year, and the middle center-to-home gap was about $3,134 a year.

A nanny is the other end of the range. The federal database does not track nannies. Care.com's 2026 report put the average posted rate at $870 a week for 1 infant, which is $45,240 a year at 52 weeks, or $3,770 a month.

How can I lower the cost of daycare?

The price is the price. What changes is how much of it gets paid with pre-tax money, and whether the government chips in. 3 federal tools do that.

1. A dependent care FSA through work

For tax years beginning after Dec 31, 2025, 26 U.S.C. 129 lets up to $7,500 a year of employer dependent care assistance stay out of your taxable income. For a married person filing a separate return, the cap is $3,750.

It only exists if your employer offers a dependent care assistance program. At an assumed 22% federal tax bracket, $7,500 kept out of income means $1,650 less federal income tax. In the middle state, $7,500 covers about 59% of a year of infant center care at 2022 prices.

2. The Child and Dependent Care Credit

Starting with 2026 tax years, the credit is 50% of eligible care costs, stepped down as income rises, with a floor of 20%. The costs it counts are capped at $3,000 for 1 child under 13 and $6,000 for 2 or more.

2 catches. The $3,000 or $6,000 cap is reduced by whatever you exclude through a dependent care FSA, so $7,500 in an FSA takes the cap to $0 for 1 or 2 kids.

And for a married couple, the counted costs cannot exceed the lower earner's earned income. The statute has special rules for a spouse who is a full-time student or unable to care for himself.

For a couple in the 22% bracket with joint AGI of $180,000 and 1 infant, the math is $1,650 from a full FSA versus $810 from the credit alone. Those numbers do not stack. For filers who are not married filing jointly, the second step-down starts at $75,000 of AGI and moves 1 point per $2,000. Those numbers do not stack. For filers who are not married filing jointly, the second step-down starts at $75,000 of AGI and moves 1 point per $2,000.

3. State child care assistance (CCDF)

The federal Child Care and Development Fund pays for state subsidy programs. Under 45 CFR 98.20, a child can qualify if family income is no more than 85% of the state's median income for a family that size, and family assets are no more than $1,000,000.

States set the rest, including the sliding fee scale that decides each family's co-payment. The state agency that runs the program is where the actual numbers live.

What percent of income should daycare cost?

For years, the federal answer was 7%. In a 2016 rule, HHS set an optional benchmark that family co-payments in the subsidy program should be no more than 7% of family income.

A 2024 rule made that 7% a hard cap for subsidy co-payments. A final rule published May 12, 2026 rescinded the cap, effective Jul 13, 2026, and HHS said it will not recommend a benchmark for now. HHS wrote that the 7% figure came from 2011 Census data and is outdated.

The 7% line still makes a useful yardstick. At 2022 prices, infant center care in the middle state would hit 7% of income only at a household income of about $181,071. In Mississippi that line is about $88,162. In DC it is $364,000.

Child Care Aware of America's 2025 report says its national average price for all ages takes up 10% of median income for 2-parent households and 33% for single-parent households. Care.com's survey of parents found the average parent spends 20% or more of annual income on child care.

If that number stings, it is not a you problem. It is a math problem the whole country is running.

Frequently asked questions

How much is infant daycare per month?

In the middle state, a daycare center cost about $1,056 a month for an infant in 2022, based on Labor Department medians. State medians ran from $514 a month in Mississippi to $2,123 in DC.

Which state has the most expensive infant daycare?

In the Labor Department's 2022 state estimates, DC had the highest infant center median at $490 a week, or $25,480 a year. Among states, Massachusetts was highest at $461.55 a week, or $24,001 a year.

Which state has the cheapest infant daycare?

Mississippi had the lowest 2022 infant center median at $118.68 a week, or $6,171 a year. Alabama was next at $136.01 a week.

Why is infant daycare so expensive?

Babies need more adults. Caring for Our Children recommends no more than 3 infants per staff member in centers, versus 8 four-year-olds, so costs get split across fewer families.

Is home daycare cheaper than a center?

In the Labor Department's 2022 data, the family child care home median for infants was lower than the center median in 43 of 44 places with both. The middle gap was about $3,134 a year.

What is the dependent care FSA limit for 2026?

For tax years beginning after Dec 31, 2025, up to $7,500 a year of employer dependent care assistance can be excluded from income, or $3,750 for a married person filing separately. It only applies if an employer offers the plan.

How much is the child care tax credit in 2026?

The Child and Dependent Care Credit is 20% to 50% of up to $3,000 in care costs for 1 child, or $6,000 for 2 or more, depending on income. The Child and Dependent Care Credit is 20% to 50% of up to $3,000 in care costs for 1 child, or $6,000 for 2 or more, depending on income. That is up to $600 to $1,500 for 1 child. The credit is nonrefundable, so it cannot be more than the federal income tax you owe.

Is there still a 7% cap on child care co-payments?

Not at the federal level. HHS rescinded the federal requirement limiting subsidy co-payments to 7% of family income, effective Jul 13, 2026. As of March 2026, 31 states and DC limited co-payments to 7% or less, and states still set their own sliding fee scales.

Checked Sep 16, 2026. State prices are Labor Department medians for 2022, the latest year in the database. National averages are from Child Care Aware of America's 2025 report and Care.com's 2026 report. Tax rules are 26 U.S.C. 129 and 21 as in effect for 2026 tax years. The federal 7% co-payment cap ended Jul 13, 2026.