What care costs for a preschooler and for two children, county by county, and how it compares with what families here earn.
Full-time care for a 4-year-old costs about $9,125 a year in the typical county in Florida, or $760 a month, 13.5% more than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $16,121 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 11.5% of median family income in the typical county.
The federal Department of Health and Human Services counts child care as affordable when it takes no more than 7% of family income. For one 4-year-old, none of Florida's 67 counties meet that at the median family income; nationally, 259 of 3,131 counties do. In the budget EPI draws up for two parents and two children, child care is 15.3% of the total in the typical county.
Build a budget with your own child care cost, or see the rest of what Florida costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in St. Johns County ($14,296), Palm Beach County ($13,383) and Seminole County ($11,558), and least in Putnam County ($5,475), Franklin County ($5,478) and Holmes County ($5,940). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Alachua County | $9,733 | $811 | $17,885 | 10.3% |
| Baker County | $6,996 | $583 | $12,775 | 8.3% |
| Bay County | $10,038 | $837 | $16,121 | 12.4% |
| Bradford County | $7,130 | $594 | $13,761 | 9.2% |
| Brevard County | $9,429 | $786 | $17,033 | 10.2% |
| Broward County | $10,950 | $913 | $18,858 | 12.3% |
| Calhoun County | $9,244 | $770 | $17,621 | 14.6% |
| Charlotte County | $10,463 | $872 | $16,851 | 13.2% |
| Citrus County | $7,908 | $659 | $13,688 | 11.4% |
| Clay County | $9,429 | $786 | $16,452 | 9.7% |
| Collier County | $11,315 | $943 | $18,919 | 10.9% |
| Columbia County | $8,165 | $680 | $15,886 | 12.1% |
| DeSoto County | $8,646 | $721 | $16,808 | 14.5% |
| Dixie County | $7,904 | $659 | $14,472 | 13.7% |
| Duval County | $10,038 | $837 | $17,642 | 12.1% |
| Escambia County | $8,821 | $735 | $16,121 | 11.2% |
| Flagler County | $10,342 | $862 | $16,425 | 12.1% |
| Franklin County | $5,478 | $457 | $10,193 | 8.0% |
| Gadsden County | $6,388 | $532 | $11,863 | 11.7% |
| Gilchrist County | $7,266 | $606 | $13,138 | 9.7% |
| Glades County | $6,805 | $567 | $13,788 | 13.8% |
| Gulf County | $6,805 | $567 | $13,788 | 8.6% |
| Hamilton County | $6,844 | $570 | $12,319 | 13.1% |
| Hardee County | $8,000 | $667 | $14,633 | 13.2% |
| Hendry County | $6,844 | $570 | $12,927 | 11.8% |
| Hernando County | $6,996 | $583 | $13,079 | 9.3% |
| Highlands County | $8,213 | $684 | $15,208 | 12.5% |
| Hillsborough County | $10,646 | $887 | $18,250 | 11.7% |
| Holmes County | $5,940 | $495 | $12,791 | 10.1% |
| Indian River County | $9,125 | $760 | $16,729 | 10.8% |
| Jackson County | $6,805 | $567 | $13,788 | 11.6% |
| Jefferson County | $7,391 | $616 | $13,931 | 10.0% |
| Lafayette County | $8,621 | $718 | $15,541 | 12.8% |
| Lake County | $10,038 | $837 | $18,068 | 11.7% |
| Lee County | $9,125 | $760 | $15,817 | 10.6% |
| Leon County | $9,131 | $761 | $16,735 | 9.9% |
| Levy County | $7,300 | $608 | $12,775 | 11.7% |
| Liberty County | $8,405 | $700 | $15,118 | 13.7% |
| Madison County | $6,996 | $583 | $12,775 | 11.1% |
| Manatee County | $10,038 | $837 | $17,338 | 10.5% |
| Marion County | $8,638 | $720 | $16,243 | 12.4% |
| Martin County | $10,646 | $887 | $16,091 | 10.4% |
| Miami-Dade County | $9,429 | $786 | $17,033 | 12.3% |
| Monroe County | $9,125 | $760 | $18,250 | 8.8% |
| Nassau County | $9,733 | $811 | $15,817 | 9.6% |
| Okaloosa County | $10,038 | $837 | $18,250 | 10.4% |
| Okeechobee County | $8,650 | $721 | $16,108 | 14.3% |
| Orange County | $9,733 | $811 | $17,338 | 10.8% |
| Osceola County | $9,733 | $811 | $17,033 | 12.8% |
| Palm Beach County | $13,383 | $1,115 | $20,632 | 13.5% |
| Pasco County | $10,038 | $837 | $17,033 | 11.7% |
| Pinellas County | $10,159 | $847 | $17,763 | 10.8% |
| Polk County | $8,517 | $710 | $15,208 | 11.7% |
| Putnam County | $5,475 | $456 | $10,038 | 9.4% |
| Santa Rosa County | $10,038 | $837 | $18,189 | 9.7% |
| Sarasota County | $11,254 | $938 | $19,771 | 11.5% |
| Seminole County | $11,558 | $963 | $20,683 | 11.3% |
| St. Johns County | $14,296 | $1,191 | $26,159 | 11.3% |
| St. Lucie County | $10,220 | $852 | $16,182 | 12.9% |
| Sumter County | $10,646 | $887 | $19,467 | 12.1% |
| Suwannee County | $7,900 | $658 | $14,215 | 12.3% |
| Taylor County | $7,660 | $638 | $15,438 | 14.0% |
| Union County | $6,307 | $526 | $12,015 | 8.4% |
| Volusia County | $9,125 | $760 | $16,121 | 11.5% |
| Wakulla County | $7,656 | $638 | $13,767 | 8.9% |
| Walton County | $9,733 | $811 | $18,858 | 10.2% |
| Washington County | $6,083 | $507 | $12,316 | 9.4% |
Click a column to sort it. The share compares care for one 4-year-old with the county's median family income. A dash means EPI publishes no income figure for that county.
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