Are you paying too much for child care? See how Ohio costs compare to other states
Ohio’s childcare costs are some of the least expensive in the country.
According to a new report by HelpAdvisor, the average weekly amount spent on childcare in the Buckeye state is $255.80, well below the national average of $325.39 per week.
“U.S. families spend an average of 27% of their household income on childcare,” said Christian Worstell, the study’s author.
The report analyzed survey data from a U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey from more than 59,000 households.
Finding good child care can be a challenge for Ohio parents. According to the Center for American Progress, 39% of Ohio residents live in a child care desert. In Mahoning County, the majority of child care deserts were located east of Struthers and along the Pennsylvania border.
The organization defined a child care desert as “any census tract with more than 50 children under age 5 that contains either no child care providers or so few options that there are more than three times as many children as licensed child care slots.”
Researchers identified some disparities in childcare expenses related to household income, military status, sexual orientation and education.
The less the household made, the more they spent on childcare.
“Households with incomes of less than $25,000 per year reported a higher average weekly cost of childcare ($295.92) than households with incomes between $100,000 and $149,999 ($275.57),” reported Worstell.
Active duty military spent more than twice the average on childcare. Their average weekly childcare expenses were $675.32.
Parents identifying as gay or lesbian were also more likely to spend well over other households, reporting an average cost of $507.26 per week. Parents who identified as straight spent an average of $322.10.
Parents with less than a high school diploma reported spending about $245.15 per week on child care. Those with a bachelor’s degree or higher averaged $377.77 per week.
15 least expensive states for child care
- Iowa, with an average weekly child care cost of $182.42
- Mississippi at 203.38 per week
- Oklahoma at $209.41
- Arkansas at $219.28
- Alabama at $230.16
- Indiana at $230.45
- South Carolina at $236.35
- West Virginia at $238.07
- Maine at $242.87
- Wyoming at $244.13
- Tennessee at $247.82
- Kentucky at $249.48
- Florida at $251.64
- Ohio at $255.80
- Nebraska at $260.75
5 most expensive places for child care
- Nevada at $493.46 per week
- New Jersey at $442.19
- Washington, D.C. at $427.90
- Hawaii at $413.13
- Washington at $408.67
