Deciding to have a child is arguably the biggest decision a person makes in her life.
With parenthood comes a profound responsibility that ranges from protecting to educating. While countless joys accompany parenting, there are costs too -- and they take effect even
before birth.
Child care is an incredibly common expense for American families. According to a
2015 report published by ChildCare Aware of America, an advocacy group supporting access to high-quality child care, 11 million children under the age of 5 are in child care for an average of 36 hours per week in the United States. Though the arrangement can vary from in-home care to the aid of grandparents and neighbors, 35 percent of children receive center-based care at child care centers, preschools and Head Start programs.
The team at
Credio wanted to see how child care costs vary for families in every U.S. state. To do this, Credio analyzed data from ChildCare Aware of America's "
Parents and the High Cost of Child Care" report -- which details the cost of full-time child care in centers -- along with 2014
median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau, which includes income generated by all members of a household.
Depending on the state, the percentage of median household income spent on child care for two children annually ranged greatly, from below 20 percent to north of 45 percent. Credio ranked the 50 U.S. states by this metric, and included the percent of median household income for one child, the average cost of care for two children, as well as the cost of one, as well as median household income for each state.
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