How much does daycare cost in 2026?
Full-time infant care at a daycare center costs about $16,380 a year in the U.S. on average, and care for a preschooler about $12,995, estimated in today’s prices. Among states it ranges from about $8,360 a year for an infant in Mississippi to $27,967 in Massachusetts, and a licensed home daycare usually costs less than a center. Look up your county below.
Updated Oct 12, 2026. County prices from the U.S. Department of Labor (2022 for most counties), adjusted to August 2026 prices.
Look up your county
Choose a state and county to see center and home daycare prices for each age.
Daycare prices by state, a year, in today’s dollars
| State | Infant, center | Toddler, center | Preschooler, center | Infant, home daycare | Data year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $8,620 | $8,488 | $7,965 | $8,188 | 2022 |
| Alaska | $20,204 | $18,527 | $16,641 | $15,921 | 2015–22 |
| Arizona | $16,065 | $12,394 | $12,394 | $11,471 | 2022 |
| Arkansas | $8,483 | $8,342 | $7,447 | $6,969 | 2018–21 |
| California | $23,555 | $16,624 | $16,062 | $18,460 | 2022 |
| Colorado | $22,943 | $19,997 | $17,606 | $15,139 | 2015–22 |
| Connecticut | $22,497 | $22,497 | $17,345 | $16,136 | 2022 |
| Delaware | $15,159 | $11,034 | $11,588 | $10,834 | 2022 |
| District of Columbia | $31,146 | $28,641 | $24,948 | $25,425 | 2022 |
| Florida | $14,285 | $11,457 | $10,567 | $11,255 | 2015–22 |
| Georgia | $10,631 | $9,810 | $9,429 | $8,976 | 2022 |
| Hawaii | $21,132 | $15,249 | $15,249 | $12,389 | 2022 |
| Idaho | $10,514 | $10,126 | $9,281 | $8,088 | 2022 |
| Illinois | $17,891 | $14,491 | $13,267 | $12,457 | 2020–22 |
| Iowa | $10,563 | $9,102 | $9,102 | $7,095 | 2022 |
| Kansas | $9,957 | $9,462 | $8,634 | $7,871 | 2022 |
| Kentucky | $10,132 | $8,936 | $8,936 | $7,782 | 2022 |
| Louisiana | $9,502 | $9,204 | $8,939 | $8,377 | 2022 |
| Maine | $14,851 | $13,826 | $13,012 | $11,456 | 2022 |
| Maryland | $20,972 | $15,815 | $15,815 | $14,766 | 2022 |
| Massachusetts | $27,967 | $24,943 | $19,425 | $17,304 | 2022 |
| Michigan | $10,542 | $10,623 | $9,767 | $12,304 | 2022 |
| Minnesota | $20,530 | $18,442 | $16,579 | $11,391 | 2022 |
| Mississippi | $8,360 | $7,712 | $7,339 | — | 2022 |
| Missouri | $13,753 | $10,872 | $10,901 | $9,610 | 2016–20 |
| Montana | $14,154 | $14,805 | $12,654 | $11,386 | 2022 |
| Nebraska | $13,950 | $13,045 | $11,870 | $8,374 | 2022 |
| Nevada | $16,631 | $14,585 | $13,819 | $11,748 | 2022 |
| New Hampshire | $18,744 | $17,777 | $15,584 | $12,902 | 2022 |
| New Jersey | $19,529 | $19,089 | $19,089 | $12,414 | 2022 |
| New York | $18,783 | $17,486 | $16,358 | $15,514 | 2022 |
| North Carolina | $13,919 | $11,519 | $9,151 | $11,098 | 2015–22 |
| North Dakota | $13,685 | $12,487 | $11,586 | $10,066 | 2022 |
| Ohio | $16,850 | $15,181 | $13,307 | $11,976 | 2022 |
| Oklahoma | $13,489 | $11,667 | $11,667 | $9,790 | 2022 |
| Oregon | $20,274 | $18,702 | $14,803 | $13,625 | 2022 |
| Pennsylvania | $14,882 | $13,469 | $12,542 | $11,310 | 2020 |
| Puerto Rico | $5,597 | $5,597 | $5,415 | $5,032 | 2021 |
| Rhode Island | $18,623 | $17,957 | $15,770 | $16,401 | 2022 |
| South Carolina | $11,741 | $11,020 | $10,775 | $8,726 | 2022 |
| South Dakota | $9,490 | $9,490 | $8,863 | $6,884 | 2022 |
| Tennessee | $11,993 | $8,644 | $8,644 | $8,691 | 2022 |
| Texas | $11,048 | $10,310 | $10,026 | $9,869 | 2022 |
| Utah | $14,389 | $11,697 | $10,687 | $10,696 | 2022 |
| Vermont | $21,047 | $20,197 | $20,602 | $13,239 | 2021 |
| Virginia | $16,586 | $13,282 | $13,360 | $12,315 | 2013–22 |
| Washington | $23,513 | $18,449 | $18,449 | $17,350 | 2022 |
| West Virginia | $10,687 | $10,158 | $10,399 | $9,674 | 2022 |
| Wisconsin | $16,340 | $14,551 | $14,551 | $12,290 | 2022 |
| Wyoming | $10,865 | $9,877 | $9,894 | $9,907 | 2019–22 |
Median full-time prices from each county’s latest year in the National Database of Childcare Prices, raised to August 2026 prices with the federal price index for day care and preschool, then averaged across the state with county populations as weights. 90% of counties have 2022 prices. The database has no prices for Indiana or New Mexico. Alaska figures cover only 14 of its 32 counties. Missouri figures cover only 21 of its 115 counties. Mississippi has no home daycare price. States measure prices differently, so small gaps between states mean little. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau.
Texas and California: newer state surveys
Texas. The 2026 Texas Child Care Market Rate Survey puts the statewide median full-day price at licensed centers at $45.00 a day for infants (about $11,700 a year) and $41.00 for 3-year-olds (about $10,660). Texas daycare costs by area →
California. California’s own survey (2021), adjusted to August 2026 prices, puts full-time center care at about $22,786 a year for infants and $16,300 for preschoolers, averaged across counties. California daycare costs by county →
These come from each state’s own price survey, so they can differ from the national database’s figures above.
National averages
- $13,359 a year for full-time infant care at a center at each county’s latest prices in the National Database of Childcare Prices (2022 for 90% of counties), a population-weighted average; about $16,380 once each county’s price is brought to August 2026.
- $13,184 a year, the national average annual price of child care in 2025 (Child Care Aware of America).
- $332 a week, the average posted weekly rate for infant care at daycare centers listed on Care.com (Care.com 2026 Cost of Care Report).
Each measures something different: county medians from state surveys, a national average from state data, or rates posted on one website.
Why daycare costs what it does
- Age. Babies need more staff per child, so infant care costs the most and prices fall as children get older. In Texas, for example, one caregiver may look after at most 4 infants under 12 months but up to 15 three-year-olds (Texas ratios, California ratios). Infant care costs by state and county →
- Type of care. A licensed family child care home usually charges less than a center: its median infant price is lower in 89% of counties with both (home daycare vs a center).
- Where you live. Prices follow local wages and rents, so big metro areas cost more than rural counties in the same state.
- Fees. Ask about registration and supply fees, meals, late-pickup fees and whether you pay for holidays and your child’s sick days.
Ways to pay less
- Pre-tax money and the tax credit. A dependent care FSA covers up to $7,500 of care in 2026, and the child and dependent care credit is worth 20% to 50% of up to $3,000 or $6,000 in costs. See which saves you more → · The credit’s 2025 and 2026 rates →
- State child care assistance. Every state helps some lower-income working families pay for care; in Texas it runs through the Texas Workforce Commission and local workforce boards.
- Head Start and Early Head Start. Free programs for young children from families with low incomes.
- A nanny share or au pair. For two or more children, sharing a nanny with another family or hosting an au pair can cost less than center care. Compare the costs in your county.
- Public pre-K. Many states offer free pre-K for 4-year-olds, and some for 3-year-olds; ask your school district. See who gets free pre-K in Texas and transitional kindergarten in California.
Common questions
How much does daycare cost per month?
About $1,365 a month for full-time infant care at a center and $1,083 for a preschooler, a U.S. average weighted by population, estimated in today’s prices. It ranges widely by state and county; look up yours on this page.
How much does daycare cost per week?
About $315 a week for an infant and $250 for a preschooler at a center, a U.S. average estimated in today’s prices. Care.com’s 2026 report puts the average posted rate for infant care at centers on its site at $332 a week.
Why is infant care so expensive?
Babies need more caregivers per child, and staff pay is most of a daycare’s costs. In Texas, for example, one caregiver may look after at most 4 infants under 12 months but up to 15 three-year-olds.
Is home daycare cheaper than a center?
Usually. A licensed family child care home’s median infant price is lower than the center median in 89% of counties with both, by about $2,103 a year at the median in today’s prices.
Which state has the most expensive daycare?
Among states with prices in the national database, center infant care costs the most in Massachusetts (about $27,967 a year, estimated in today’s prices) and the least in Mississippi and Arkansas (about $8,360 to $8,483). Washington, D.C., costs more than any state.
How can I lower my child care costs?
Use a dependent care FSA or the child and dependent care credit, apply for your state’s child care assistance or Head Start if you qualify, compare centers with licensed family child care homes, and ask whether your district offers free pre-K.
About these numbers
- The National Database of Childcare Prices collects the price surveys each state runs for its child care assistance program, and fills in years between a state’s surveys and up to two years after its latest one. When a state reports prices by region, every county in that region gets the same price, which is why neighboring counties sometimes match; when it reports only statewide figures, county prices are estimated from local rents and education (technical guide).
- “Today’s dollars” multiply each county’s price by the rise in the federal price index for day care and preschool from its survey year to August 2026. Real prices in your area may have risen faster or slower.
- Prices are medians for full-time care. Part-time care, extra fees and discounts aren’t included.
More guides
Changes
- Oct 7, 2026: First published: county and state prices from the National Database of Childcare Prices (2022 for most counties), in today’s dollars, with the newest Texas and California surveys.
- Oct 7, 2026: Texas figures updated from the 2025 to the 2026 Texas Child Care Market Rate Survey.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices 2008–2022; release, Nov 19, 2024; CPI-U, day care and preschool, U.S. city average (BLS series CUUR0000SEEB03); Child Care Aware of America, Child Care in America: 2025 Price & Supply (May 2026); Care.com 2026 Cost of Care Report