Family · Facts & sources
5 sourced facts about child care, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
Answer$13,184
That's up slightly from $13,128 in 2024 — and prices vary widely by state, age of child and type of care.
Source: Child Care Aware of America, Child Care in America: 2025 Price & Supply (2025) info.childcareaware.org
Answer62%
The other common arrangement was care by a relative, used by 38% of children in nonparental care.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Program Participation: 2019 (2019) nces.ed.gov
Answerabout 35%
For married couples at the median household income, one child's care took roughly 10% of earnings.
Source: Wikipedia, Child care (citing 2024 U.S. price data) (2024) en.wikipedia.org
Answer23%
That closely tracked overall inflation, which was about 24% over the same five years.
Source: Child Care Aware of America, Child Care in America: 2025 Price & Supply (2025) info.childcareaware.org
Answer26 of 43 (60%)
Licensed centers fell about 1% nationally, while family child care homes grew 1.4%.
Source: Child Care Aware of America, Child Care in America: 2025 Price & Supply (2025) info.childcareaware.org