Side-by-side childcare cost comparison. Data from Child Care Aware of America (2024).
Washington is $506/year cheaper on average ($12,510 vs $13,016).
Washington has better affordability at 13.8% of income vs 14.2%.
| Metric | California (CA) | Washington (WA) |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Annual Cost | $13,016 | $12,510 |
| Infant (Center) | $19,836 | $18,000 |
| Infant (Home) | $14,328 | $13,200 |
| Toddler (Center) | $16,320 | $15,480 |
| Toddler (Home) | $11,760 | $11,400 |
| Preschool (Center) | $13,680 | $13,800 |
| Preschool (Home) | $9,960 | $10,080 |
| School-Age (Center) | $10,560 | $10,440 |
| School-Age (Home) | $7,680 | $7,680 |
| % of Income | 14.2% | 13.8% |
| Median Income | $91,905 | $90,325 |
| Cost Rank | #3 | #5 |
| Licensed Providers | 20,700 | 7,000 |
| Quality System | Quality Counts California | Early Achievers |
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.