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FACT BRIEF

Does the cost of child care in the US average $20,000 a year?

Monday, July 18, 2022
By Austin Tannenbaum
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NO

According to World Population Review, "the average cost of providing center-based care for an infant in the U.S. is $1,230 per month," or $14,760 per year. Only in Washington, D.C., and the state of Massachusetts do costs exceed $20,000 per year, at $24,243 and $20,913, respectively.

Nonetheless, affordability is an issue throughout the country: the cost of center-based infant and toddler care does not meet the federal definition for affordability—7% of annual household income—in any state.

In a 2021 analysis of child care across 40 developed countries, UNICEF reported that child care costs in the U.S. were the ninth most expensive. One reason for this, highlighted by the New York Times, is that the U.S. government spends far less on child care than other countries: $500 per child annually compared with the OECD average of $14,436.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
World Population Review Child Care Costs by State 2022
UNICEF Where do rich countries stand on child care?
New York Times How Other Nations Pay for Child Care. The US Is an Outlier.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.