Childcare costs in the United States are widely known to be exorbitant. A January 2023 report from the U.S. Department of Labor revealed that the prices have reached an unsustainable level for families. On average, American families spend approximately $1,300 per month on childcare, devouring a significant one-fourth of their income. As a result, over 60% of impoverished families find it necessary for one parent to forego work to care for their children, leading to a chain of financial hardships.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, affordable childcare should ideally cost less than 7% of a family’s income. However, this criterion is met in a mere 2% of counties nationwide. Shockingly, almost two-thirds of parents are burdened with childcare expenses exceeding this recommended limit.
Overall, in a staggering 98% of counties throughout the country, childcare remains financially unattainable for most families. The team at AAAStateofPlay has conducted a comprehensive analysis of childcare costs to identify the regions where childcare expenses are most steep.
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Co-founder and Vice President of SearchRank, responsible for many of the day to day operations of the company. She is also founder of The Arizona Builders’ Zone, a construction / home improvement portal.
