Childcare in GA is among the lowest in cost, but not in accessibility. Here’s how it stacks up
The National Bipartisan Policy Center reports nearly 65% of Georgia children have two working parents, while nationally 1 in 3 children receive out-of-the home childcare, revealing an extremely high demand for reliable childcare.
According to a new WalletHub study, Georgia ranked 48th cheapest states for childcare costs, but even with a lower-cost ranking, this expense takes a heavy toll on families, especially those with infants and single parents.
The analysis ranked all 50 states plus D.C. by child care costs as a share of family income, and cost not the only factor. Availability matters just as much.
Georgia is low in cost, but not burden
Many households spend a sizable share of their income just to keep child care in place, and the result is a state that looks affordable on paper but still feels expensive to many parents.
The monthly cost:
Center-based care:
- Infants (0-2 months): $1103
- Toddler (1-2 years): $858
- Preschool (3-5 years): $739
- School-age/after school: $450
Home-based care:
- Infants (0-2 months): $$1107
- Toddler (1-2 years): $792
- Preschool (3-5 years): $679
- School-age/after school: $400
The financial burden:
That ranking reflects cost compared with the rest of the country, not whether families are actually comfortable paying the bill.
Lower relative costs often don’t translate into affordability for every family. The federal affordability benchmark for percentage of median household income spent on childcare is 7%, but Georgia in several areas.
- Infant care can cost about 14% to 18% of median household income
- Single parents spend about 28% of their income
- Married couples spend about 8% of income
Georgia has demand and access problems
The burden is not just about cost. The First Five Year Fund reveals Georgia also has a supply problem. Many families live in child care deserts where there are not enough licensed slots to meet demand.
That makes finding care harder, especially for parents who need full-time care close to work or home.
Most recent data:
- 3,238 licensed child care centers
- 1,119 licensed family child care homes in 2024 (down 50 from 2023)
- 21% gap in supply of child care vs. potential need
- 14% gap in utilization of child care and development block grants
- 22% gap in service in Head Start Preschool programs
- 7% gap in eligibility vs enrolled in Early Head Start
How other states stack up
Highest-costs states
Married couples
- Nebraska
- California
- New York
- Oregon
- Washington
Single-parent families
- District of Columbia
- Massachusetts
- New York
- Washington
- California
Lowest-cost states
Married-couples
- Mississippi
- South Dakota
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Alaska
Single-parent families
- South Dakota
- Alaska
- Idaho
- Utah
- Mississippi
- Georgia
How the rankings are calculated
WalletHub built its score from two cost types, each measured against local incomes.
- Researchers analyzed the average annual price of full-time family child care (home-based) and center-based day care for an infant, toddler and 4-year-old.
- Each was divided by median annual income, separately for married-couple and single-parent households, which is why a state can rank differently for each family type.
- Data came from the U.S. Census Bureau and Child Care Aware, collected as of June 2025.
Georgia’s child care may be among the cheapest in the nation, but “cheap” does not mean attainable.
For working parents, the cost still consumes a large share of income, and access to care remains uneven across the state.