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Open calculator: Worth workingDaycare costs by state
Daycare costs in Illinois. About $1,475/month for infant center care, CPI adjusted to August 2026.
A starting point across the state. Explore your county for the more local picture.
Infant care in a center
$17,699/ year
County sources 2020–2022 · CPI adjusted to August 2026
- Weekly
- $340
- Monthly
- $1,475
- Annual
- $17,699
A planning estimate for one child. Current tuition and included services vary by provider.
21.2%of median household income
Annual care ÷ $83,390 income. 2020–2024 ACS 5-year.
Prices by age & setting
| Age group | Center | Home-based |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $17,6992020 source | $12,4282020 source |
| Toddler | $14,3372020 source | $11,7512020 source |
| Preschool | $13,1662020 source | $10,9252020 source |
| School-age | $4,5712020 source | $3,2692020 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.
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Explore your county.
Each local page shows available age groups, source years, income context and nearby counties.
| County | Center | Home-based | Source year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | $1,134 | $697 | 2022 |
| Alexander County | $940 | $701 | 2020 |
| Bond County | $1,011 | $701 | 2022 |
| Boone County | $1,527 | $984 | 2022 |
| Brown County | $940 | $662 | 2020 |
| Bureau County | $1,097 | $768 | 2022 |
| Calhoun County | $940 | $701 | 2020 |
| Carroll County | $940 | $839 | 2020 |
| Cass County | $940 | $1,015 | 2020 |
| Champaign County | $1,639 | $784 | 2022 |
| Christian County | $823 | $932 | 2022 |
| Clark County | $940 | $662 | 2020 |
| Clay County | $940 | $556 | 2020 |
| Clinton County | $974 | $839 | 2022 |
| Coles County | $916 | $839 | 2022 |
| Cook County | $1,474 | $1,101 | 2022 |
| Crawford County | $940 | $955 | 2020 |
| Cumberland County | $940 | $662 | 2020 |
| DeKalb County | $1,551 | $1,023 | 2022 |
| De Witt County | $940 | $733 | 2020 |
| Douglas County | $940 | $742 | 2020 |
| DuPage County | $1,983 | $1,242 | 2022 |
| Edgar County | $940 | $839 | 2020 |
| Edwards County | $940 | $701 | 2020 |
| Effingham County | $802 | $697 | 2022 |
| Fayette County | $814 | $827 | 2022 |
| Ford County | $940 | $839 | 2020 |
| Franklin County | $1,011 | $1,015 | 2022 |
| Fulton County | $977 | $839 | 2022 |
| Gallatin County | $940 | $701 | 2020 |
| Greene County | $940 | $701 | 2020 |
| Grundy County | $1,399 | $701 | 2022 |
| Hamilton County | $693 | $701 | 2022 |
| Hancock County | $940 | $486 | 2020 |
| Hardin County | $940 | $701 | 2020 |
| Henderson County | $940 | $697 | 2020 |
| Henry County | $1,202 | $839 | 2022 |
| Iroquois County | $940 | $697 | 2020 |
| Jackson County | $1,399 | $996 | 2022 |
| Jasper County | $940 | $486 | 2020 |
| Jefferson County | $1,293 | $955 | 2022 |
| Jersey County | $940 | $701 | 2020 |
| Jo Daviess County | $940 | $662 | 2020 |
| Johnson County | $940 | $701 | 2020 |
| Kane County | $1,739 | $1,242 | 2022 |
| Kankakee County | $1,068 | $781 | 2022 |
| Kendall County | $1,515 | $1,101 | 2022 |
| Knox County | $1,646 | $839 | 2022 |
| Lake County | $1,618 | $1,101 | 2022 |
| LaSalle County | $1,399 | $1,015 | 2022 |
| Lawrence County | $940 | $701 | 2020 |
| Lee County | $1,293 | $839 | 2022 |
| Livingston County | $940 | $839 | 2022 |
| Logan County | $940 | $839 | 2020 |
| McDonough County | $865 | $486 | 2022 |
| McHenry County | $1,671 | $1,101 | 2022 |
| McLean County | $1,661 | $957 | 2022 |
| Macon County | $1,223 | $779 | 2022 |
| Macoupin County | $1,046 | $697 | 2022 |
| Madison County | $1,527 | $957 | 2022 |
City pages in Illinois
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Daycare vs. nanny
Compare center, home-based care, a nanny and a nanny share—including employer taxes.
Open calculator: Daycare vs. nannyDependent care FSA vs. tax credit
Compare federal tax benefits with the rules for 2025 and 2026.
Open calculator: FSA vs. tax creditChildcare subsidy income check
Compare your income with published state limits and find the application.
Open calculator: Subsidy income checkHelp paying for care
Check the assistance
available in Illinois.
The January 2025 federal table lists $5,850 per month as the initial income threshold for a family of four.
Current limits and other eligibility rules may differ.
See limits & applicationQuestions about care
in Illinois.
How much does daycare cost per month in Illinois?
The infant center estimate is $1,475 per month. The underlying source is dated 2020 and is adjusted to August 2026 with the childcare CPI. Individual provider quotes vary.
How much is home-based childcare?
The infant home-based estimate is $1,036 per month, from a 2020 source adjusted to August 2026.
Does the estimate include deposits and extra fees?
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.
What does the share of income mean?
Annual center care divided by $83,390 median household income gives 21.2%. Income comes from 2020–2024 ACS 5-year. The periods differ, so this is an illustrative comparison, not a current household survey.
Can I get help paying for daycare in Illinois?
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.
Sources behind this page.
Retrieved 2026-10-01. The displayed figures are rounded; calculations use unrounded values.
| Age / setting | Source | Original weekly | CPI factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant / center | County sources 2020–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Infant / home | County sources 2020–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Toddler / center | County sources 2020–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Toddler / home | County sources 2020–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Preschool / center | County sources 2020–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Preschool / home | County sources 2020–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| School-age / center | County sources 2020–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| School-age / home | County sources 2020–2022 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.