Side-by-side childcare cost comparison. Data from Child Care Aware of America (2024).
California is $5,001/year cheaper on average ($13,016 vs $18,017).
California has better affordability at 14.2% of income vs 17.7%.
| Metric | California (CA) | District of Columbia (DC) |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Annual Cost | $13,016 | $18,017 |
| Infant (Center) | $19,836 | $24,252 |
| Infant (Home) | $14,328 | $18,480 |
| Toddler (Center) | $16,320 | $22,080 |
| Toddler (Home) | $11,760 | $16,800 |
| Preschool (Center) | $13,680 | $19,920 |
| Preschool (Home) | $9,960 | $15,120 |
| School-Age (Center) | $10,560 | $15,600 |
| School-Age (Home) | $7,680 | $11,880 |
| % of Income | 14.2% | 17.7% |
| Median Income | $91,905 | $101,722 |
| Cost Rank | #3 | #1 |
| Licensed Providers | 20,700 | 760 |
| Quality System | Quality Counts California | Capital Quality |
The ChildCarePeek editorial team aggregates and verifies childcare cost data from Child Care Aware of America. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against official sources before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.