Side-by-side childcare cost comparison. Data from Child Care Aware of America (2024).
Iowa is $9,677/year cheaper on average ($8,340 vs $18,017).
Iowa has better affordability at 11.5% of income vs 17.7%.
| Metric | District of Columbia (DC) | Iowa (IA) |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Annual Cost | $18,017 | $8,340 |
| Infant (Center) | $24,252 | $11,760 |
| Infant (Home) | $18,480 | $8,640 |
| Toddler (Center) | $22,080 | $10,200 |
| Toddler (Home) | $16,800 | $7,440 |
| Preschool (Center) | $19,920 | $9,360 |
| Preschool (Home) | $15,120 | $6,840 |
| School-Age (Center) | $15,600 | $7,200 |
| School-Age (Home) | $11,880 | $5,280 |
| % of Income | 17.7% | 11.5% |
| Median Income | $101,722 | $72,429 |
| Cost Rank | #1 | #29 |
| Licensed Providers | 760 | 4,400 |
| Quality System | Capital Quality | Iowa Quality Rating System |
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.