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 $7,930 a year in the typical county in Indiana, or $661 a month, 1.4% less than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $14,877 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 10.7% 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 Indiana's 92 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 16.7% of the total in the typical county.
Build a budget with your own child care cost, or see the rest of what Indiana costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Hamilton County ($13,775), Hendricks County ($13,196) and Boone County ($12,746), and least in Wabash County ($7,394), Fulton County ($7,394) and Rush County ($7,397). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Adams County | $7,459 | $622 | $13,994 | 9.5% |
| Allen County | $11,377 | $948 | $20,221 | 13.3% |
| Bartholomew County | $11,649 | $971 | $20,703 | 12.1% |
| Benton County | $9,969 | $831 | $17,717 | 13.5% |
| Blackford County | $7,643 | $637 | $14,338 | 12.0% |
| Boone County | $12,746 | $1,062 | $22,654 | 10.1% |
| Brown County | $10,951 | $913 | $19,463 | 12.3% |
| Carroll County | $10,038 | $837 | $17,840 | 12.5% |
| Cass County | $7,497 | $625 | $14,065 | 10.8% |
| Clark County | $12,088 | $1,007 | $21,485 | 14.2% |
| Clay County | $10,182 | $849 | $18,097 | 11.8% |
| Clinton County | $7,669 | $639 | $14,387 | 9.1% |
| Crawford County | $7,749 | $646 | $14,538 | 11.9% |
| Daviess County | $7,502 | $625 | $14,074 | 8.5% |
| Dearborn County | $10,770 | $898 | $19,142 | 10.7% |
| Decatur County | $7,856 | $655 | $14,738 | 9.1% |
| DeKalb County | $7,437 | $620 | $13,952 | 8.9% |
| Delaware County | $10,545 | $879 | $18,741 | 14.7% |
| Dubois County | $7,841 | $653 | $14,710 | 8.9% |
| Elkhart County | $10,669 | $889 | $18,963 | 13.0% |
| Fayette County | $7,430 | $619 | $13,938 | 10.8% |
| Floyd County | $11,672 | $973 | $20,746 | 11.6% |
| Fountain County | $7,682 | $640 | $14,412 | 10.1% |
| Franklin County | $10,679 | $890 | $18,980 | 11.8% |
| Fulton County | $7,394 | $616 | $13,872 | 10.3% |
| Gibson County | $7,594 | $633 | $14,247 | 8.8% |
| Grant County | $7,596 | $633 | $14,249 | 11.0% |
| Greene County | $7,580 | $632 | $14,220 | 10.6% |
| Hamilton County | $13,775 | $1,148 | $24,482 | 9.7% |
| Hancock County | $11,846 | $987 | $21,054 | 10.5% |
| Harrison County | $10,883 | $907 | $19,343 | 11.5% |
| Hendricks County | $13,196 | $1,100 | $23,454 | 11.4% |
| Henry County | $7,419 | $618 | $13,918 | 9.8% |
| Howard County | $10,532 | $878 | $18,718 | 12.8% |
| Huntington County | $7,700 | $642 | $14,445 | 9.6% |
| Jackson County | $7,829 | $652 | $14,687 | 9.4% |
| Jasper County | $11,177 | $931 | $19,866 | 11.8% |
| Jay County | $7,487 | $624 | $14,046 | 10.9% |
| Jefferson County | $7,725 | $644 | $14,491 | 10.4% |
| Jennings County | $7,824 | $652 | $14,678 | 10.1% |
| Johnson County | $12,329 | $1,027 | $21,913 | 12.0% |
| Knox County | $7,420 | $618 | $13,920 | 9.4% |
| Kosciusko County | $8,004 | $667 | $15,015 | 8.7% |
| LaGrange County | $7,497 | $625 | $14,065 | 8.2% |
| Lake County | $11,203 | $934 | $19,911 | 13.1% |
| LaPorte County | $10,687 | $891 | $18,994 | 12.8% |
| Lawrence County | $7,592 | $633 | $14,243 | 9.1% |
| Madison County | $10,672 | $889 | $18,967 | 13.8% |
| Marion County | $11,768 | $981 | $20,915 | 14.6% |
| Marshall County | $7,512 | $626 | $14,092 | 8.8% |
| Martin County | $7,419 | $618 | $13,919 | 7.9% |
| Miami County | $7,552 | $629 | $14,167 | 10.2% |
| Monroe County | $11,847 | $987 | $21,056 | 12.2% |
| Montgomery County | $7,624 | $635 | $14,302 | 9.0% |
| Morgan County | $11,106 | $926 | $19,740 | 11.6% |
| Newton County | $10,350 | $863 | $18,395 | 13.1% |
| Noble County | $7,761 | $647 | $14,559 | 9.3% |
| Ohio County | $10,794 | $900 | $19,185 | 12.9% |
| Orange County | $7,793 | $649 | $14,619 | 9.4% |
| Owen County | $10,467 | $872 | $18,603 | 14.1% |
| Parke County | $10,390 | $866 | $18,467 | 14.4% |
| Perry County | $7,717 | $643 | $14,477 | 9.2% |
| Pike County | $7,551 | $629 | $14,166 | 8.7% |
| Porter County | $11,468 | $956 | $20,383 | 11.2% |
| Posey County | $9,650 | $804 | $17,151 | 10.3% |
| Pulaski County | $7,830 | $653 | $14,690 | 10.3% |
| Putnam County | $10,954 | $913 | $19,469 | 12.6% |
| Randolph County | $7,497 | $625 | $14,065 | 10.2% |
| Ripley County | $7,697 | $641 | $14,439 | 8.6% |
| Rush County | $7,397 | $616 | $13,877 | 9.3% |
| Scott County | $7,788 | $649 | $14,611 | 10.6% |
| Shelby County | $10,928 | $911 | $19,423 | 12.3% |
| Spencer County | $7,746 | $646 | $14,532 | 8.1% |
| St. Joseph County | $10,763 | $897 | $19,130 | 12.7% |
| Starke County | $7,562 | $630 | $14,187 | 10.1% |
| Steuben County | $7,726 | $644 | $14,494 | 8.5% |
| Sullivan County | $10,243 | $854 | $18,205 | 14.5% |
| Switzerland County | $7,537 | $628 | $14,139 | 9.6% |
| Tippecanoe County | $11,295 | $941 | $20,074 | 13.2% |
| Tipton County | $7,504 | $625 | $14,077 | 8.5% |
| Union County | $10,854 | $905 | $19,291 | 11.2% |
| Vanderburgh County | $10,843 | $904 | $19,272 | 14.2% |
| Vermillion County | $9,898 | $825 | $17,592 | 12.5% |
| Vigo County | $10,411 | $868 | $18,504 | 14.2% |
| Wabash County | $7,394 | $616 | $13,872 | 9.0% |
| Warren County | $10,452 | $871 | $18,576 | 11.7% |
| Warrick County | $11,082 | $924 | $19,696 | 9.8% |
| Washington County | $10,262 | $855 | $18,239 | 13.2% |
| Wayne County | $7,455 | $621 | $13,986 | 9.9% |
| Wells County | $7,514 | $626 | $14,096 | 8.9% |
| White County | $7,593 | $633 | $14,244 | 9.5% |
| Whitley County | $10,734 | $895 | $19,077 | 12.0% |
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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