Childcare prices vary substantially by state and by the age or schedule a family needs. The 2024 figures below cover family child care in Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, and Michigan, including infant, toddler, 4-year-old, before- or after-school, and summer care. The source is Child Care in America: 2024 Affordability Analysis. These figures are legacy research and were not independently verified for this article.
Contents
- What these childcare statistics measure
- Infant and toddler care prices
- Prices for 4-year-old care
- Before- and after-school care
- Summer family child care
- State-by-state comparison
What these childcare statistics measure
The figures are annual prices reported for 2024. They describe family child care rather than every form of child care available in each state. The categories separate full-time care for infants and toddlers, care for a 4-year-old, before- or after-school care, and summer care. Because the source reports prices by state and category, the numbers should be read as comparisons of the reported amounts, not as a national average or a household-specific quote.
The measurement period is the 2024 calendar year. Geography is state-level: Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, and Michigan. The source label for every figure is Child Care in America: 2024 Affordability Analysis. No supplied source URL accompanies these statistics, so the source name is retained without an added link.
Prices also vary within a state. A state total does not show differences among cities, counties, providers, schedules, or eligibility circumstances. The most useful comparison is therefore category by category: an infant price in one state should be compared with an infant price in another state, while a summer price should be compared with other summer prices.
Infant and toddler care prices
Full-time infant care ranges from $7,639 in Kansas to $17,510 in Massachusetts among the states reported. The difference between those two reported prices is $9,871. Massachusetts is the highest listed state for infant care, while Kansas is the lowest in this set.
Georgia reports $8,407 for full-time infant family child care and $8,043 for toddler care. Hawaii reports $11,632 for infants and $11,148 for toddlers. Illinois reports $12,283 for infants and the same $12,283 for toddlers. Indiana reports $9,508 for infants and $9,102 for toddlers.
Iowa reports $8,596 for full-time infant care and $8,443 for toddler care. Kansas reports $7,639 for infants and $6,890 for toddlers. Kentucky reports $9,880 for infants and $9,360 for toddlers. Maine reports $11,830 for infants and $11,206 for toddlers.
Massachusetts reports $17,510 for full-time infant care and $17,511 for toddler care. Michigan reports $9,458 for infants and $9,959 for toddlers. These state figures come from Child Care in America: 2024 Affordability Analysis and refer specifically to 2024 family child care prices.
| State | Infant care | Toddler care |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $8,407 | $8,043 |
| Hawaii | $11,632 | $11,148 |
| Illinois | $12,283 | $12,283 |
| Indiana | $9,508 | $9,102 |
| Iowa | $8,596 | $8,443 |
| Kansas | $7,639 | $6,890 |
| Kentucky | $9,880 | $9,360 |
| Maine | $11,830 | $11,206 |
| Massachusetts | $17,510 | $17,511 |
| Michigan | $9,458 | $9,959 |
The toddler figures do not always fall below the infant figures. Michigan reports $9,959 for toddlers compared with $9,458 for infants, and Massachusetts reports $17,511 for toddlers compared with $17,510 for infants. Illinois reports equal prices for the two categories. Those patterns are part of the reported dataset and should not be replaced with assumptions about how prices usually change with age.
Prices for 4-year-old care
The reported 2024 price for family child care for a 4-year-old is highest in Massachusetts at $15,056. Illinois reports $10,439, Michigan reports $10,355, and Maine reports $10,790. Hawaii reports $11,028 for this category.
The remaining reported prices are $7,802 in Georgia, $8,470 in Indiana, $8,285 in Iowa, $7,750 in Kansas, and $9,360 in Kentucky. The spread between the highest and lowest listed 4-year-old prices is $7,306, with Massachusetts at the high end and Kansas at the low end.
Compared with the infant category in the same state, the 4-year-old price is lower in Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Kansas is the exception in this set: the reported 4-year-old price is $7,750, while the infant price is $7,639. This comparison describes the supplied state figures; it does not establish a general age-pricing rule.
For families comparing care by age, the category labels matter. “4-year-old” is distinct from infant and toddler care, and these numbers should not be combined into one undifferentiated childcare price. All amounts in this section are 2024 family child care prices from Child Care in America: 2024 Affordability Analysis.
Before- and after-school care
Before- or after-school family child care is lower than full-time infant care in every state listed, but the reported amounts still vary widely. Hawaii reports $10,694, the highest before- or after-school price in this group. Massachusetts reports $7,583, and Maine reports $6,728.
Georgia reports $5,661 for before- or after-school care. Indiana reports $5,143, Kentucky reports $5,148, and Michigan reports $5,448. Illinois reports $3,524, while Iowa reports $3,067. Kansas reports $2,742, the lowest listed price for this category.
The difference between Hawaii’s $10,694 and Kansas’s $2,742 is $7,952. The category therefore should not be treated as a single national price when families are comparing budgets across states. The figures also represent a particular care arrangement: before- or after-school care, rather than full-time care for a younger child or a summer program.
The source reports the following 2024 prices: Georgia, $5,661; Hawaii, $10,694; Illinois, $3,524; Indiana, $5,143; Iowa, $3,067; Kansas, $2,742; Kentucky, $5,148; Maine, $6,728; Massachusetts, $7,583; and Michigan, $5,448. Source: Child Care in America: 2024 Affordability Analysis.
Summer family child care
Summer family child care shows the widest apparent contrast among several of the state figures. Hawaii reports $10,668, nearly as high as its before- or after-school figure of $10,694. Massachusetts reports $3,764, while Illinois reports $2,403 and Maine reports $2,243.
Kentucky reports $2,340 for summer care. Indiana and Iowa each report $1,934. Georgia reports $1,887, Michigan reports $1,257, and Kansas reports $914. Kansas has the lowest listed summer price, while Hawaii has the highest.
The difference between the two ends of the reported range is $9,754. Summer prices are not interchangeable with the other categories: they represent summer family child care and can have a different schedule or duration from full-time infant, toddler, or 4-year-old care. The source does not supply additional explanations for the differences in the figures provided here.
For 2024, the reported summer prices are:
- Georgia: $1,887
- Hawaii: $10,668
- Illinois: $2,403
- Indiana: $1,934
- Iowa: $1,934
- Kansas: $914
- Kentucky: $2,340
- Maine: $2,243
- Massachusetts: $3,764
- Michigan: $1,257
Source: Child Care in America: 2024 Affordability Analysis. These are reported prices, not forecasts, and no later-year estimate is included in the supplied figures.
State-by-state comparison
Looking across all five categories gives each state a distinct pattern. Georgia’s reported prices are $8,407 for infants, $8,043 for toddlers, $7,802 for a 4-year-old, $5,661 for before- or after-school care, and $1,887 for summer care. Hawaii reports $11,632, $11,148, $11,028, $10,694, and $10,668 for those same categories.
Illinois reports $12,283 for infants, $12,283 for toddlers, $10,439 for a 4-year-old, $3,524 for before- or after-school care, and $2,403 for summer care. Indiana reports $9,508, $9,102, $8,470, $5,143, and $1,934, respectively.
Iowa’s reported sequence is $8,596 for infants, $8,443 for toddlers, $8,285 for a 4-year-old, $3,067 for before- or after-school care, and $1,934 for summer care. Kansas reports $7,639, $6,890, $7,750, $2,742, and $914. The Kansas figures show why each category should remain separate: its 4-year-old price is higher than its infant price, while its summer price is the lowest in the group.
Kentucky reports $9,880 for infants, $9,360 for toddlers, $9,360 for a 4-year-old, $5,148 for before- or after-school care, and $2,340 for summer care. Maine reports $11,830, $11,206, $10,790, $6,728, and $2,243.
Massachusetts reports the highest infant price in the comparison at $17,510 and the highest toddler price at $17,511. Its 4-year-old price is $15,056, its before- or after-school price is $7,583, and its summer price is $3,764. Michigan reports $9,458 for infants, $9,959 for toddlers, $10,355 for a 4-year-old, $5,448 for before- or after-school care, and $1,257 for summer care.
| State | 4-year-old | Before/after school | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $7,802 | $5,661 | $1,887 |
| Hawaii | $11,028 | $10,694 | $10,668 |
| Illinois | $10,439 | $3,524 | $2,403 |
| Indiana | $8,470 | $5,143 | $1,934 |
| Iowa | $8,285 | $3,067 | $1,934 |
| Kansas | $7,750 | $2,742 | $914 |
| Kentucky | $9,360 | $5,148 | $2,340 |
| Maine | $10,790 | $6,728 | $2,243 |
| Massachusetts | $15,056 | $7,583 | $3,764 |
| Michigan | $10,355 | $5,448 | $1,257 |
Together, these childcare statistics show why geography and care type are essential context. The 2024 family child care prices range from $914 for summer care in Kansas to $17,511 for toddler care in Massachusetts. The figures are descriptive 2024 state-level amounts from Child Care in America: 2024 Affordability Analysis, and they should be interpreted within those measurement limits.