Is it worth going back to work?
See what a second income leaves after taxes, childcare and commuting.
Open calculator: Worth workingDaycare costs by state
A starting point across the state. Explore your county for the more local picture.
Infant care in a center
$1,685/ month
County sources 2015–2022 · CPI adjusted to August 2026
A planning estimate for one child. Current tuition and included services vary by provider.
Annual care ÷ $92,788 income. 2020–2024 ACS 5-year.
| Age group | Center | Home-based |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $1,6852015 source | $1,3222015 source |
| Toddler | $1,5292015 source | $1,2222015 source |
| Preschool | $1,3692015 source | $1,1772015 source |
| School-age | $8162015 source | $8392015 source |
One child. Weekly × 52 ÷ 12 for monthly; weekly × 52 for annual. School-age coverage varies and often means care around school hours. Age definitions.
Population-weighted mean of available county medians. Each county is adjusted before averaging. Coverage varies by age and setting; this is not an official statewide median.
Get closer to home
Each local page shows available age groups, source years, income context and nearby counties.
| County | Center | Home-based | Source year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aleutians East Borough | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Aleutians West Census Area | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Anchorage Municipality | $1,917 | $1,375 | 2022 |
| Bethel Census Area | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Bristol Bay Borough | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Chugach Census Area | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Copper River Census Area | Not available | $1,448 | Not reported |
| Denali Borough | $1,994 | Not available | 2018 |
| Dillingham Census Area | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | $2,093 | $1,673 | 2022 |
| Haines Borough | $1,897 | $1,430 | 2018 |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Juneau City and Borough | $1,201 | $697 | 2022 |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | $820 | $1,332 | 2022 |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | $1,653 | $748 | 2022 |
| Kodiak Island Borough | $1,488 | $1,443 | 2022 |
| Kusilvak Census Area | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | $1,320 | $1,143 | 2022 |
| Nome Census Area | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| North Slope Borough | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Petersburg Borough | $1,571 | Not available | 2020 |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | $1,683 | Not available | 2020 |
| Sitka City and Borough | $2,487 | $1,094 | 2022 |
| Skagway Municipality | $1,150 | Not available | 2020 |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | $1,092 | $1,070 | 2015 |
| Valdez-Cordova Census Area | $2,057 | $1,367 | 2018 |
| Wrangell City and Borough | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
| Yakutat City and Borough | $1,160 | $1,094 | 2015 |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | Not available | Not available | Not reported |
Make it your budget
Use a calculator to compare costs with your own income and provider quotes.
See what a second income leaves after taxes, childcare and commuting.
Open calculator: Worth workingCompare center, home-based care, a nanny and a nanny share—including employer taxes.
Open calculator: Daycare vs. nannyCompare federal tax benefits with the rules for 2025 and 2026.
Open calculator: FSA vs. tax creditCompare your income with published state limits and find the application.
Open calculator: Subsidy income checkHelp paying for care
The January 2025 federal table lists $7,372 per month as the initial income threshold for a family of four.
Current limits and other eligibility rules may differ.
See limits & applicationThe infant center estimate is $1,685 per month. The underlying source is dated 2015 and is adjusted to August 2026 with the childcare CPI. Individual provider quotes vary.
The infant home-based estimate is $1,322 per month, from a 2015 source adjusted to August 2026.
The county figure is a tuition benchmark. Deposits, registration, supplies, meals, late pickup and paid closures may be billed separately. Ask for a written payment schedule.
Annual center care divided by $92,788 median household income gives 21.8%. Income comes from 2020–2024 ACS 5-year. The periods differ, so this is an illustrative comparison, not a current household survey.
The state assistance page links to the current program. Income is only one part of eligibility; work or education, your child’s age, assets and available funding can also matter.
Retrieved 2026-10-01. The displayed figures are rounded; calculations use unrounded values.
| Age / setting | Source | Original weekly | CPI factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant / center | County sources 2015–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Infant / home | County sources 2015–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Toddler / center | County sources 2015–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Toddler / home | County sources 2015–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Preschool / center | County sources 2015–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Preschool / home | County sources 2015–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| School-age / center | County sources 2015–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| School-age / home | County sources 2015–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
CPI: BLS CUUR0000SEEB03, August 2026 index 403.749, divided by the source-year annual index. NDCP values may be age-derived, converted, clustered or imputed. Read the method and limitations.
Income: 2020–2024 ACS 5-year, median household B19013 and median family B19113. Income is not CPI adjusted.
Subsidy: ACF January 2025 initial income table; confirm current rules through the state application.