How expensive is childcare in Washington state? Here’s how much parents spend

The impacts of inflation hit hard for families with young children.

Expenses range from rent and utilities to food, clothing and entertainment.

When kids are young, there is also a need for childcare.

About 97% of married couples with children had at least one employed parent in 2025, while 66.3% had two employed parents, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While some have family members or friends they can rely on, most of these households will have to pay for daycare.

““It costs a lot of money to care of a child’s needs, and many parents are left with the dilemma of whether to forgo one salary to do their own childcare for the first few years or to shell out a significant chunk of their income for childcare services,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo wrote in a June 30 article.

To help these families decide where to settle down, personal finance website WalletHub recently analyzed childcare costs by state.

Here’s how Washington state fared:

How expensive is childcare in the United States?

According to WalletHub, married couples in the United States can spend nearly 14% of their income on childcare, and single parents can spend around 59%.

“Even with these high costs, childcare is often unavoidable,” WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann wrote in the June 30 article. “Rising living expenses and evolving gender roles have made dual-income households the norm.”

To analyze which states have the most affordable childcare, WalletHub compared the costs of family-based and center-based childcare options in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, adjusting for median household income.

Specifically, the personal finance website specified looked at which percentage of annual household income is spent by single parents and married couples by state.

Based on these numbers, WalletHub gave each state a score out of 100, then ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia No. 1 through 51.

Childcare was most expensive in the No. 1 state, and the least expensive in No. 51.

How much income do Washington parents spend on childcare?

According to WalletHub, married couples in Washington state spent 10.8% of their median household income on family-based childcare in 2026.

Married couples spent 12.8% of their income on center-based care, WalletHub said.

Childcare costs are significantly higher for single-parent households.

Households led by single parents spent 34.9% of their median annual income on family-based care and 41.1% on center-based care, according to the personal finance website.

Where is childcare the most expensive in the US?

According to WalletHub, these were the five states with the most expensive childcare for married couples in 2026:

• Nebraska: 10.7% for family-based care, 13.6% for center-based care
• California: 10.6% for family-based care, 13.6% for center-based care
• New York: 10.9% for family-based care, 12.9% for center-based care
• Oregon: 11% for family-based care, 12.7% for center-based care
• Washington: 10.8% for family-based care, 12.8% for center-based care

Here’s where childcare was most expensive for single-parent households:

• District of Columbia: 51.2% for family-based care, 58.7% for center-based care
• Massachusetts: 35.1% for family-based care, 50% for center-based care
• New York: 38.4% for family-based care, 45.5% for center-based care
• Washington: 34.9% for family-based care, 41.1% for center-based care
• California: 32.7% for family-based care, 42.1% for center-based care

What are most affordable US states for daycare?

WalletHub said these five states had the lowest childcare costs for married couples in 2025:

• Alaska: 6.9% for family-based care, 8% for center-based care
• Georgia: 6.5% for family-based care, 8.4% for center-based care
• Alabama: 6.6% for family-based care, 7.4% for center-based care
• South Dakota: 5.6% for family-based care, 7% for center-based care
• Mississippi: 5.7% for family-based care, 6.9% for center-based care

These states had the most affordable childcare for single-parent households:

• Mississippi: 20.9% for family-based care, 25.5% for center-based care
• Utah: 19.5% for family-based care, 24.9% for center-based care
• Idaho: 18.1% for family-based care, 24.7% for center-based care
• Alaska: 18.4% for family-based care, 21.4% for center-based care
• South Dakota: 17.3% for family-based care, 21.6% for center-based care