Is it worth going back to work?
See what a second income leaves after taxes, childcare and commuting.
Open calculator: Worth workingLocal childcare costs
Compare ages and care settings, then put the estimate beside your own budget.
Infant care in a center
$16,871/ year
Source 2022 · CPI adjusted to August 2026
A planning estimate for one child. Current tuition and included services vary by provider.
Annual care ÷ $59,095 income. 2020–2024 ACS 5-year.
| Age group | Center | Home-based |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $16,8712022 source | $12,1772022 source |
| Toddler | $12,9572022 source | $11,5262022 source |
| Preschool | $14,0442022 source | $12,3502022 source |
| School-age | $10,7122022 source | $11,7442022 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.
A little context
Highest price ranks first, for infant center care. Ties use the same rank.
Population-weighted mean of available infant center county medians.
$74,427 median family income, 2024 ACS. A separate comparison from household income.
Nearby places
Actual county neighbors from the Census adjacency file. These are estimates for each county’s market.
| County | Monthly estimate | Source year |
|---|---|---|
| Del Norte County, CA | $1,189 | 2022 |
| Humboldt County, CA | $1,940 | 2022 |
| Modoc County, CA | $1,189 | 2022 |
| Shasta County, CA | $1,315 | 2022 |
| Trinity County, CA | $1,189 | 2022 |
| Jackson County, OR | $1,387 | 2022 |
| Josephine County, OR | $1,383 | 2022 |
| Klamath County, OR | $1,045 | 2022 |
Make it your budget
Open a calculator with this county’s estimate prefilled. Edit it to match your provider’s quote.
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 $8,712 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 $1,406 per month. The underlying source is dated 2022 and is adjusted to August 2026 with the childcare CPI. Individual provider quotes vary.
The infant home-based estimate is $1,015 per month, from a 2022 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 $59,095 median household income gives 28.5%. 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 | DOL NDCP 2022 | $265.43 | × 1.222352 |
| Infant / home | DOL NDCP 2022 | $191.57 | × 1.222352 |
| Toddler / center | DOL NDCP 2022 | $203.84 | × 1.222352 |
| Toddler / home | DOL NDCP 2022 | $181.33 | × 1.222352 |
| Preschool / center | DOL NDCP 2022 | $220.95 | × 1.222352 |
| Preschool / home | DOL NDCP 2022 | $194.29 | × 1.222352 |
| School-age / center | DOL NDCP 2022 | $168.52 | × 1.222352 |
| School-age / home | DOL NDCP 2022 | $184.76 | × 1.222352 |
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.