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 $6,510 a year in the typical county in Idaho, or $543 a month, 19.0% less than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $12,830 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 8.7% 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 Idaho's 44 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 13.8% of the total in the typical county.
Build a budget with your own child care cost, or see the rest of what Idaho costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Ada County ($11,596), Bonneville County ($8,533) and Canyon County ($8,533), and least in Custer County ($5,414), Shoshone County ($6,009) and Payette County ($6,009). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Ada County | $11,596 | $966 | $22,508 | 10.8% |
| Adams County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 8.8% |
| Bannock County | $6,850 | $571 | $13,449 | 8.1% |
| Bear Lake County | $7,545 | $629 | $14,982 | 8.7% |
| Benewah County | $6,009 | $501 | $12,017 | 9.1% |
| Bingham County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 7.1% |
| Blaine County | $7,792 | $649 | $15,813 | 8.4% |
| Boise County | $7,832 | $653 | $15,562 | 8.7% |
| Bonner County | $7,356 | $613 | $14,593 | 9.5% |
| Bonneville County | $8,533 | $711 | $16,724 | 9.3% |
| Boundary County | $6,009 | $501 | $12,017 | 8.2% |
| Butte County | $6,850 | $571 | $13,449 | 11.2% |
| Camas County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 7.5% |
| Canyon County | $8,533 | $711 | $16,724 | 10.2% |
| Caribou County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 7.9% |
| Cassia County | $6,009 | $501 | $12,017 | 7.8% |
| Clark County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 9.9% |
| Clearwater County | $7,356 | $613 | $14,593 | 9.4% |
| Custer County | $5,414 | $451 | $11,058 | 7.4% |
| Elmore County | $6,009 | $501 | $12,017 | 8.4% |
| Franklin County | $6,510 | $543 | $12,830 | 7.8% |
| Fremont County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 7.8% |
| Gem County | $6,510 | $543 | $12,830 | 8.6% |
| Gooding County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 8.2% |
| Idaho County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 8.1% |
| Jefferson County | $6,850 | $571 | $13,449 | 7.6% |
| Jerome County | $6,850 | $571 | $13,449 | 9.2% |
| Kootenai County | $8,533 | $711 | $16,724 | 9.2% |
| Latah County | $7,792 | $649 | $15,813 | 8.8% |
| Lemhi County | $7,356 | $613 | $14,593 | 10.1% |
| Lewis County | $6,009 | $501 | $12,017 | 9.5% |
| Lincoln County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 8.4% |
| Madison County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 9.8% |
| Minidoka County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 8.0% |
| Nez Perce County | $8,533 | $711 | $16,724 | 9.3% |
| Oneida County | $6,009 | $501 | $12,017 | 7.3% |
| Owyhee County | $6,510 | $543 | $12,830 | 8.6% |
| Payette County | $6,009 | $501 | $12,017 | 8.0% |
| Power County | $6,850 | $571 | $13,449 | 9.8% |
| Shoshone County | $6,009 | $501 | $12,088 | 9.0% |
| Teton County | $7,792 | $649 | $15,813 | 7.3% |
| Twin Falls County | $6,850 | $571 | $13,449 | 8.7% |
| Valley County | $6,762 | $564 | $13,633 | 7.0% |
| Washington County | $6,198 | $517 | $12,406 | 9.5% |
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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