Cheapest Childcare States
Ranked by average annual infant center-based childcare cost. Lower is cheaper.
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Annual infant center-based childcare cost across all 45 ranked states
$8,974 Among the most affordable more affordable than 67% of 45 US states
Each bar is a $2K-wide band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source DOL Women's Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices
| # | State | Infant (Center) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | $5,783/yr |
| 2 | Mississippi | $6,498/yr |
| 3 | Georgia | $6,591/yr |
| 4 | South Dakota | $6,595/yr |
| 5 | Alabama | $6,896/yr |
| 6 | Kentucky | $7,238/yr |
| 7 | Idaho | $7,315/yr |
| 8 | Louisiana | $7,396/yr |
| 9 | Michigan | $7,444/yr |
| 10 | Texas | $7,566/yr |
| 11 | South Carolina | $7,732/yr |
| 12 | Tennessee | $7,860/yr |
| 13 | Iowa | $8,306/yr |
| 14 | Wyoming | $8,502/yr |
| 15 | West Virginia | $8,974/yr |
| 16 | North Carolina | $9,487/yr |
| 17 | Nebraska | $9,863/yr |
| 18 | Nevada | $10,033/yr |
| 19 | Virginia | $10,445/yr |
| 20 | Florida | $10,505/yr |
| 21 | Oklahoma | $10,666/yr |
| 22 | North Dakota | $10,925/yr |
| 23 | Delaware | $11,172/yr |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $11,256/yr |
| 25 | Arizona | $11,301/yr |
| 26 | Maine | $11,325/yr |
| 27 | Montana | $11,466/yr |
| 28 | Minnesota | $11,722/yr |
| 29 | Ohio | $11,791/yr |
| 30 | Utah | $11,828/yr |
| 31 | Illinois | $12,257/yr |
| 32 | Oregon | $12,639/yr |
| 33 | Colorado | $12,821/yr |
| 34 | New York | $13,869/yr |
| 35 | Maryland | $14,631/yr |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $14,934/yr |
| 37 | Hawaii | $15,330/yr |
| 38 | Rhode Island | $15,433/yr |
| 39 | New Jersey | $15,732/yr |
| 40 | Alaska | $15,925/yr |
| 41 | Washington | $15,987/yr |
| 42 | Connecticut | $17,127/yr |
| 43 | California | $17,920/yr |
| 44 | Massachusetts | $20,571/yr |
| 45 | District of Columbia | $25,480/yr |
Source: DOL Women's Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices
Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This ranking is computed directly from the DOL childcare price data cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.