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 $6,344 a year in the typical county in Iowa, or $529 a month, 21.1% less than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $12,478 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 7.6% 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, 18 of Iowa's 99 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 14.0% of the total in the typical county.
Build a budget with your own child care cost, or see the rest of what Iowa costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Dallas County ($9,720), Polk County ($9,295) and Johnson County ($9,257), and least in Decatur County ($5,981), Floyd County ($5,982) and Wayne County ($6,002). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Adair County | $6,253 | $521 | $12,298 | 6.5% |
| Adams County | $6,414 | $535 | $12,615 | 7.4% |
| Allamakee County | $6,251 | $521 | $12,293 | 7.7% |
| Appanoose County | $6,260 | $522 | $12,312 | 9.9% |
| Audubon County | $6,256 | $521 | $12,304 | 7.9% |
| Benton County | $8,547 | $712 | $15,385 | 8.1% |
| Black Hawk County | $8,818 | $735 | $15,872 | 10.2% |
| Boone County | $8,530 | $711 | $15,354 | 8.5% |
| Bremer County | $8,350 | $696 | $15,030 | 8.4% |
| Buchanan County | $6,408 | $534 | $12,603 | 7.0% |
| Buena Vista County | $6,357 | $530 | $12,501 | 7.0% |
| Butler County | $6,325 | $527 | $12,439 | 7.5% |
| Calhoun County | $6,195 | $516 | $12,183 | 7.7% |
| Carroll County | $6,170 | $514 | $12,134 | 6.7% |
| Cass County | $6,152 | $513 | $12,098 | 7.1% |
| Cedar County | $6,558 | $547 | $12,899 | 6.8% |
| Cerro Gordo County | $6,434 | $536 | $12,653 | 7.4% |
| Cherokee County | $6,054 | $505 | $11,905 | 6.7% |
| Chickasaw County | $6,337 | $528 | $12,463 | 7.3% |
| Clarke County | $6,164 | $514 | $12,122 | 7.8% |
| Clay County | $6,284 | $524 | $12,357 | 6.8% |
| Clayton County | $6,281 | $523 | $12,352 | 8.1% |
| Clinton County | $6,386 | $532 | $12,559 | 7.4% |
| Crawford County | $6,233 | $519 | $12,258 | 7.6% |
| Dallas County | $9,720 | $810 | $17,496 | 7.3% |
| Davis County | $6,571 | $548 | $12,924 | 7.1% |
| Decatur County | $5,981 | $498 | $11,763 | 8.7% |
| Delaware County | $6,316 | $526 | $12,421 | 7.0% |
| Des Moines County | $6,588 | $549 | $12,956 | 8.4% |
| Dickinson County | $6,682 | $557 | $13,141 | 6.5% |
| Dubuque County | $8,710 | $726 | $15,679 | 8.8% |
| Emmet County | $6,224 | $519 | $12,240 | 7.9% |
| Fayette County | $6,369 | $531 | $12,526 | 8.6% |
| Floyd County | $5,982 | $499 | $11,764 | 6.6% |
| Franklin County | $6,175 | $515 | $12,145 | 8.2% |
| Fremont County | $6,238 | $520 | $12,269 | 7.0% |
| Greene County | $6,453 | $538 | $12,690 | 7.8% |
| Grundy County | $8,474 | $706 | $15,253 | 8.6% |
| Guthrie County | $8,603 | $717 | $15,485 | 8.9% |
| Hamilton County | $6,489 | $541 | $12,760 | 7.3% |
| Hancock County | $6,412 | $534 | $12,610 | 7.6% |
| Hardin County | $6,329 | $527 | $12,446 | 7.6% |
| Harrison County | $8,704 | $725 | $15,667 | 9.4% |
| Henry County | $6,225 | $519 | $12,242 | 7.8% |
| Howard County | $6,183 | $515 | $12,161 | 7.6% |
| Humboldt County | $6,080 | $507 | $11,958 | 7.5% |
| Ida County | $6,065 | $505 | $11,927 | 7.3% |
| Iowa County | $6,296 | $525 | $12,383 | 6.8% |
| Jackson County | $6,246 | $521 | $12,283 | 7.1% |
| Jasper County | $8,371 | $698 | $15,069 | 9.5% |
| Jefferson County | $6,462 | $539 | $12,708 | 8.2% |
| Johnson County | $9,257 | $771 | $16,662 | 8.0% |
| Jones County | $8,000 | $667 | $14,401 | 8.5% |
| Keokuk County | $6,294 | $525 | $12,378 | 8.2% |
| Kossuth County | $6,446 | $537 | $12,677 | 7.5% |
| Lee County | $6,344 | $529 | $12,478 | 8.1% |
| Linn County | $8,700 | $725 | $15,661 | 8.9% |
| Louisa County | $6,341 | $528 | $12,472 | 7.1% |
| Lucas County | $6,339 | $528 | $12,468 | 7.8% |
| Lyon County | $6,416 | $535 | $12,619 | 7.3% |
| Madison County | $8,834 | $736 | $15,901 | 7.9% |
| Mahaska County | $6,346 | $529 | $12,479 | 7.6% |
| Marion County | $6,549 | $546 | $12,879 | 6.7% |
| Marshall County | $6,507 | $542 | $12,796 | 7.4% |
| Mills County | $8,528 | $711 | $15,350 | 8.0% |
| Mitchell County | $6,219 | $518 | $12,231 | 7.0% |
| Monona County | $6,335 | $528 | $12,459 | 7.8% |
| Monroe County | $6,259 | $522 | $12,310 | 7.4% |
| Montgomery County | $6,199 | $517 | $12,192 | 7.8% |
| Muscatine County | $6,748 | $562 | $13,271 | 7.6% |
| O'Brien County | $6,145 | $512 | $12,086 | 6.6% |
| Osceola County | $6,421 | $535 | $12,628 | 7.9% |
| Page County | $6,248 | $521 | $12,287 | 8.2% |
| Palo Alto County | $6,007 | $501 | $11,814 | 6.4% |
| Plymouth County | $6,497 | $541 | $12,778 | 6.9% |
| Pocahontas County | $6,277 | $523 | $12,344 | 7.7% |
| Polk County | $9,295 | $775 | $16,730 | 9.0% |
| Pottawattamie County | $8,829 | $736 | $15,893 | 10.0% |
| Poweshiek County | $6,520 | $543 | $12,822 | 7.1% |
| Ringgold County | $6,209 | $517 | $12,212 | 7.1% |
| Sac County | $6,024 | $502 | $11,848 | 6.9% |
| Scott County | $8,820 | $735 | $15,876 | 8.9% |
| Shelby County | $6,619 | $552 | $13,018 | 7.3% |
| Sioux County | $6,452 | $538 | $12,689 | 6.4% |
| Story County | $8,929 | $744 | $16,072 | 7.7% |
| Tama County | $6,520 | $543 | $12,821 | 7.9% |
| Taylor County | $6,049 | $504 | $11,897 | 7.6% |
| Union County | $6,169 | $514 | $12,133 | 7.7% |
| Van Buren County | $6,086 | $507 | $11,970 | 8.1% |
| Wapello County | $6,647 | $554 | $13,073 | 9.4% |
| Warren County | $8,875 | $740 | $15,976 | 7.9% |
| Washington County | $8,502 | $709 | $15,303 | 9.7% |
| Wayne County | $6,002 | $500 | $11,805 | 7.8% |
| Webster County | $6,282 | $524 | $12,355 | 7.1% |
| Winnebago County | $6,085 | $507 | $11,968 | 7.2% |
| Winneshiek County | $6,329 | $527 | $12,447 | 6.5% |
| Woodbury County | $8,693 | $724 | $15,646 | 10.0% |
| Worth County | $6,182 | $515 | $12,158 | 6.5% |
| Wright County | $6,221 | $518 | $12,234 | 8.1% |
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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