WASHINGTON – Paying for child care in half of the country exceeds the cost of going to college, according to a new report.
The study released this week shows child care costs continue to rise across the U.S. In 36 states and D.C., the average annual cost of center-based day care services was more than one year of in-state tuition at a public college. In all states and D.C., care for two children, a baby and 4-year-old exceeded the average annual cost of rent.
In 2011, average costs ranged from $4,600 in Mississippi to $15,000 in Massachusetts for an infant, the report shows. For a 4-year-old child, that cost ranged from $3,900 to almost $11,700.
New York was ranked the least affordable state for an infant in day care, based on average cost compared with average median income for a two-parent family. Virginia and Maryland came out in the middle, ranking 27th and 23rd respectively.
D.C. was not given a number ranking, but an average of 14.3 percent of median incomes were spent on child care, which was just below eighth-ranked Illinois, which came in at 14.4 percent.
Read the full report .
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