The costs of child care in 38 states have now outpaced college tuition and are more expensive, based on a new analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
The left-leaning think tank is based in Washington, D.C., and used federal and nonprofit data from 2023 to compare the cost of infant child care per month to that of tuition at public colleges. It was seen that the tally increased by five states since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Rising Cost of Child Care
The think tank's last analysis used data from 2020, which found that the cost of child care outpaced college costs in 33 states and Washington, D.C. The agency's report also noted that the costs of child care in Iowa come close but do not go beyond that of in-state tuition at a four-year public university.
The EPI released a state-by-state guide describing the rising costs of child care. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, these costs range from $521 per month in Mississippi to as high as $1,893 per month in Washington, D.C.
The agency's analysis also found that childcare costs have outpaced rent prices in 17 states and the District of Columbia. The leaders of EPI argued that childcare has become unaffordable for many working families across the United States. This is especially true for low-wage workers, including those who provide child care.
Katherine deCourcy, an EPI research assistant, said the situation was inevitable, but it was also a policy choice. She noted that federal and state policymakers nationwide can and should act to make child care more affordable.
The EPI also highlighted the state of New Mexico as a case study of the growing struggles that families are facing. The State Line reported that the state's infant care costs exceed $14,000, or nearly $1,200 per month.
Affordability of Childcare
The organization revealed that caring for a four-year-old costs roughly $10,000 annually, or about $800 per month. EPI found that New Mexico's annual infant care costs outpaced rent by more than 10%.
The federal government's definition of affordability shows that roughly 90% of New Mexico residents cannot afford child care, even though it accounts for less than 7% of a family's income.
Advocates have argued that there is a growing need for universal preschool programs that provide quality, free childcare. EPI also noted that a constitutional amendment approved by New Mexico voters in 2022 guaranteed a right to early childhood education, as per the South Carolina Daily Gazette.
