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 $8,010 a year in the typical county in Minnesota, or $668 a month, about the same as the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $15,716 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 9.3% 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 Minnesota's 87 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 16.1% of the total in the typical county. In 6 counties, care for one preschooler costs more than the family's housing.
Build a budget with your own child care cost, or see the rest of what Minnesota costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Stearns County ($20,481), Anoka County ($18,798) and Carver County ($18,798), and least in Todd County ($7,604), Steele County ($7,604) and Nobles County ($7,604). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Aitkin County | $9,328 | $777 | $18,047 | 12.2% |
| Anoka County | $18,798 | $1,567 | $33,215 | 16.4% |
| Becker County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 8.9% |
| Beltrami County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 9.4% |
| Benton County | $12,512 | $1,043 | $22,853 | 13.2% |
| Big Stone County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 9.7% |
| Blue Earth County | $11,052 | $921 | $20,988 | 11.6% |
| Brown County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 9.0% |
| Carlton County | $11,052 | $921 | $20,988 | 11.5% |
| Carver County | $18,798 | $1,567 | $33,215 | 12.6% |
| Cass County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 9.9% |
| Chippewa County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 8.5% |
| Chisago County | $12,208 | $1,017 | $22,508 | 10.6% |
| Clay County | $11,052 | $921 | $20,988 | 10.4% |
| Clearwater County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 9.2% |
| Cook County | $11,254 | $938 | $21,596 | 12.9% |
| Cottonwood County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 9.1% |
| Crow Wing County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 8.8% |
| Dakota County | $18,798 | $1,567 | $33,215 | 14.4% |
| Dodge County | $11,052 | $921 | $20,988 | 10.1% |
| Douglas County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 8.2% |
| Faribault County | $8,314 | $693 | $16,425 | 10.4% |
| Fillmore County | $8,943 | $745 | $15,602 | 9.8% |
| Freeborn County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 8.7% |
| Goodhue County | $9,328 | $777 | $18,047 | 8.9% |
| Grant County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 8.9% |
| Hennepin County | $18,798 | $1,567 | $33,215 | 14.3% |
| Houston County | $11,538 | $962 | $21,535 | 11.8% |
| Hubbard County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 9.5% |
| Isanti County | $12,208 | $1,017 | $22,508 | 12.5% |
| Itasca County | $9,328 | $777 | $18,047 | 11.1% |
| Jackson County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 9.0% |
| Kanabec County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 9.3% |
| Kandiyohi County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 8.6% |
| Kittson County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 8.4% |
| Koochiching County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 9.3% |
| Lac qui Parle County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 8.2% |
| Lake County | $12,512 | $1,043 | $22,853 | 13.4% |
| Lake of the Woods County | $9,936 | $828 | $19,264 | 11.1% |
| Le Sueur County | $8,943 | $745 | $15,602 | 8.3% |
| Lincoln County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 8.8% |
| Lyon County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 8.1% |
| Mahnomen County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 12.4% |
| Marshall County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 8.3% |
| Martin County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 9.3% |
| McLeod County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 7.9% |
| Meeker County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 7.9% |
| Mille Lacs County | $12,512 | $1,043 | $22,853 | 14.5% |
| Morrison County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 8.8% |
| Mower County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 8.8% |
| Murray County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 8.5% |
| Nicollet County | $11,538 | $962 | $21,535 | 10.7% |
| Nobles County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 9.5% |
| Norman County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 8.5% |
| Olmsted County | $18,798 | $1,567 | $33,215 | 15.7% |
| Otter Tail County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 8.6% |
| Pennington County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 8.1% |
| Pine County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 9.6% |
| Pipestone County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 9.6% |
| Polk County | $11,538 | $962 | $21,535 | 11.9% |
| Pope County | $8,314 | $693 | $16,425 | 8.6% |
| Ramsey County | $18,798 | $1,567 | $33,215 | 17.6% |
| Red Lake County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 8.2% |
| Redwood County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 9.4% |
| Renville County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 9.0% |
| Rice County | $9,328 | $777 | $18,047 | 9.0% |
| Rock County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 8.3% |
| Roseau County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 8.9% |
| Scott County | $18,798 | $1,567 | $33,215 | 13.6% |
| Sherburne County | $12,208 | $1,017 | $22,508 | 10.1% |
| Sibley County | $7,706 | $642 | $15,208 | 8.2% |
| St. Louis County | $11,052 | $921 | $20,988 | 11.7% |
| Stearns County | $20,481 | $1,707 | $35,649 | 21.4% |
| Steele County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 7.2% |
| Stevens County | $8,314 | $693 | $16,425 | 8.7% |
| Swift County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 10.1% |
| Todd County | $7,604 | $634 | $14,499 | 9.9% |
| Traverse County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 8.7% |
| Wabasha County | $11,052 | $921 | $20,988 | 11.4% |
| Wadena County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 10.0% |
| Waseca County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 9.0% |
| Washington County | $18,798 | $1,567 | $33,215 | 13.9% |
| Watonwan County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 9.3% |
| Wilkin County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 8.5% |
| Winona County | $8,010 | $668 | $15,716 | 8.2% |
| Wright County | $12,512 | $1,043 | $22,853 | 10.1% |
| Yellow Medicine County | $7,908 | $659 | $15,208 | 9.0% |
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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