California child care costs are among highest in US. Here’s how much parents pay
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- California ranks sixth in child care costs, scoring 78.57 out of 100.
- Married couples in California spend 10% to 12% of income on child care.
- Single parents may spend up to 38% of income on California child care services.
California is one of the most expensive states for child care in the nation, according to a new WalletHub study.
The personal finance website compared family-based and daycare-based child care costs across all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., adjusting for median income to determine affordability.
“It costs a lot of money to take care of a child’s needs,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo wrote in a July 1 article titled “Child Care Costs by State.”
“Many parents are left with the dilemma of whether to forgo one salary to do their own child care for the first few years or to shell out a significant chunk of their income for child care services,” he said.
While married parents who both work can spend up to 13% of what they earn on child care, Lupo said, single parents can expect to shell out about 51%.
Here’s where California landed in the rankings — and what families in the state can expect to pay for child care:
What are the most expensive states for child care costs?
New York topped WalletHub’s list as the most expensive state in the nation for child care, with a total score of 91.02 out of 100.
Married couples in New York spend about 11% to nearly 13% of their income on child care, depending on whether care is provided at home or a daycare center, the personal finance site said.
Single parents spend between 38% and 45% of their income, according to WalletHub.
New Mexico ranked in second place, scoring 82.95 out of 100.
While married couples spend about 11% of their income on child care, single parents can spend up to 36%, WalletHub said.
Washington was the third-most expensive state for child care, with a score of 81.66.
Child care takes up about 10% to 13% of a married couple’s income, according to WalletHub.
About 33% and 41% of what single parents make goes toward child care.
What can I expect to pay on child care in California?
California was the sixth-most expensive state for child care in the United States, according to WalletHub.
The Golden State earned a score of 78.57 out of 100 from the personal finance site.
Married couples can spend 10% to 12% of their income on child care, the site said, while single parents can shell out 30% to 38%.
.JPG "IMG_parenting_6_1_A6H9L19D_L525018610 (1).JPG")
Where is child care the cheapest for married couples?
According to the WalletHub study, these U.S. states offered the cheapest child care for married parents:
South Dakota
South Carolina
Mississippi
Utah
North Dakota
Kentucky
Louisiana
Alabama
Alaska
Georgia
Which US states have most affordable child care for single parents?
WalletHub said these were the 10 most affordable states for child care for single parents:
South Dakota
Utah
Alaska
Idaho
South Carolina
Maine
North Dakota
Nebraska
Arizona
Iowa
How did WalletHub come up with its findings?
WalletHub compared full-time child care costs in every state — including in-home and daycare-based prices — and adjusted the numbers based on what married couples and single parents typically earn.
Each state was scored on a scale of 1 to 100, with higher scores meaning more expensive child care.
Those scores were then used to rank the states from most to least affordable.
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "California child care costs are among highest in US. Here’s how much parents pay."
