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 $5,331 a year in the typical county in Missouri, or $444 a month, 33.7% less than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $10,648 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 7.3% 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, 46 of Missouri's 115 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 11.9% of the total in the typical county.
Build a budget with your own child care cost, or see the rest of what Missouri costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in St. Louis County ($13,848), Platte County ($12,000) and Clay County ($11,404), and least in DeKalb County ($2,579), Hickory County ($3,624) and Barry County ($3,704). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Adair County | $5,074 | $423 | $10,274 | 6.5% |
| Andrew County | $6,733 | $561 | $13,910 | 7.3% |
| Atchison County | $5,953 | $496 | $10,933 | 8.7% |
| Audrain County | $4,912 | $409 | $9,891 | 6.9% |
| Barry County | $3,704 | $309 | $8,818 | 5.4% |
| Barton County | $5,114 | $426 | $10,251 | 7.7% |
| Bates County | $5,074 | $423 | $11,775 | 6.6% |
| Benton County | $4,832 | $403 | $9,944 | 7.2% |
| Bollinger County | $4,510 | $376 | $10,881 | 6.0% |
| Boone County | $7,789 | $649 | $12,345 | 7.8% |
| Buchanan County | $6,192 | $516 | $9,510 | 8.6% |
| Butler County | $5,584 | $465 | $10,631 | 8.7% |
| Caldwell County | $7,902 | $659 | $13,889 | 10.5% |
| Callaway County | $7,189 | $599 | $13,976 | 8.3% |
| Camden County | $5,154 | $430 | $10,352 | 6.4% |
| Cape Girardeau County | $7,467 | $622 | $14,656 | 8.4% |
| Carroll County | $6,043 | $504 | $11,098 | 7.9% |
| Carter County | $6,007 | $501 | $11,033 | 10.1% |
| Cass County | $5,323 | $444 | $8,873 | 5.1% |
| Cedar County | $3,866 | $322 | $8,962 | 5.8% |
| Chariton County | $4,663 | $389 | $9,806 | 6.1% |
| Christian County | $5,814 | $485 | $12,986 | 6.1% |
| Clark County | $6,748 | $562 | $10,563 | 9.5% |
| Clay County | $11,404 | $950 | $21,450 | 11.0% |
| Clinton County | $9,650 | $804 | $16,961 | 10.4% |
| Cole County | $4,885 | $407 | $9,811 | 5.0% |
| Cooper County | $4,590 | $383 | $11,013 | 5.4% |
| Crawford County | $4,912 | $409 | $10,027 | 6.8% |
| Dade County | $6,216 | $518 | $11,416 | 9.2% |
| Dallas County | $4,671 | $389 | $11,202 | 7.2% |
| Daviess County | $6,070 | $506 | $11,149 | 8.4% |
| DeKalb County | $2,579 | $215 | $4,852 | 2.9% |
| Dent County | $5,938 | $495 | $10,905 | 9.4% |
| Douglas County | $5,989 | $499 | $10,999 | 9.4% |
| Dunklin County | $4,417 | $368 | $9,481 | 7.0% |
| Franklin County | $7,017 | $585 | $13,883 | 7.9% |
| Gasconade County | $6,282 | $524 | $11,321 | 8.3% |
| Gentry County | $4,268 | $356 | $9,469 | 5.7% |
| Greene County | $8,688 | $724 | $16,291 | 11.2% |
| Grundy County | $3,866 | $322 | $8,954 | 5.4% |
| Harrison County | $5,235 | $436 | $10,158 | 7.9% |
| Henry County | $5,074 | $423 | $10,064 | 7.6% |
| Hickory County | $3,624 | $302 | $8,742 | 7.0% |
| Holt County | $6,077 | $506 | $11,162 | 8.4% |
| Howard County | $5,154 | $430 | $11,611 | 6.5% |
| Howell County | $5,798 | $483 | $10,999 | 9.8% |
| Iron County | $3,866 | $322 | $8,934 | 5.4% |
| Jackson County | $10,046 | $837 | $17,920 | 11.3% |
| Jasper County | $5,137 | $428 | $8,483 | 7.2% |
| Jefferson County | $9,674 | $806 | $18,811 | 10.2% |
| Johnson County | $5,326 | $444 | $10,673 | 6.3% |
| Knox County | $5,637 | $470 | $10,648 | 8.1% |
| Laclede County | $4,436 | $370 | $9,598 | 7.0% |
| Lafayette County | $7,047 | $587 | $13,850 | 7.4% |
| Lawrence County | $4,698 | $392 | $9,787 | 6.6% |
| Lewis County | $4,295 | $358 | $9,282 | 5.6% |
| Lincoln County | $7,819 | $652 | $15,044 | 8.2% |
| Linn County | $3,930 | $328 | $8,854 | 5.3% |
| Livingston County | $4,080 | $340 | $9,051 | 5.2% |
| Macon County | $5,154 | $430 | $10,263 | 7.0% |
| Madison County | $4,188 | $349 | $9,335 | 5.8% |
| Maries County | $4,993 | $416 | $10,087 | 6.5% |
| Marion County | $5,714 | $476 | $10,812 | 7.4% |
| McDonald County | $4,993 | $416 | $10,159 | 9.1% |
| Mercer County | $4,510 | $376 | $9,628 | 6.4% |
| Miller County | $5,331 | $444 | $10,473 | 6.9% |
| Mississippi County | $6,190 | $516 | $11,368 | 11.6% |
| Moniteau County | $5,718 | $477 | $12,317 | 6.7% |
| Monroe County | $4,402 | $367 | $9,378 | 6.1% |
| Montgomery County | $6,765 | $564 | $11,882 | 9.1% |
| Morgan County | $4,510 | $376 | $9,497 | 6.6% |
| New Madrid County | $4,015 | $335 | $8,987 | 6.3% |
| Newton County | $7,377 | $615 | $13,941 | 9.5% |
| Nodaway County | $5,798 | $483 | $10,986 | 7.2% |
| Oregon County | $6,120 | $510 | $11,240 | 11.2% |
| Osage County | $6,443 | $537 | $12,531 | 6.7% |
| Ozark County | $5,955 | $496 | $10,938 | 10.7% |
| Pemiscot County | $4,349 | $362 | $9,336 | 8.6% |
| Perry County | $5,619 | $468 | $10,811 | 6.9% |
| Pettis County | $3,742 | $312 | $9,054 | 5.1% |
| Phelps County | $5,450 | $454 | $10,574 | 7.6% |
| Pike County | $5,009 | $417 | $9,960 | 6.2% |
| Platte County | $12,000 | $1,000 | $20,283 | 10.1% |
| Polk County | $5,798 | $483 | $12,372 | 8.2% |
| Pulaski County | $6,604 | $550 | $12,288 | 8.0% |
| Putnam County | $5,989 | $499 | $10,999 | 8.0% |
| Ralls County | $5,315 | $443 | $10,496 | 6.5% |
| Randolph County | $6,741 | $562 | $11,869 | 9.4% |
| Ray County | $8,783 | $732 | $15,438 | 10.3% |
| Reynolds County | $5,893 | $491 | $10,824 | 10.4% |
| Ripley County | $4,268 | $356 | $9,337 | 6.9% |
| Saline County | $5,235 | $436 | $10,340 | 6.6% |
| Schuyler County | $5,315 | $443 | $10,239 | 8.2% |
| Scotland County | $5,154 | $430 | $10,272 | 6.6% |
| Scott County | $4,692 | $391 | $9,859 | 6.4% |
| Shannon County | $5,989 | $499 | $10,999 | 8.9% |
| Shelby County | $4,832 | $403 | $9,907 | 7.3% |
| St. Charles County | $10,861 | $905 | $20,636 | 8.8% |
| St. Clair County | $4,402 | $367 | $8,694 | 7.1% |
| St. Francois County | $4,510 | $376 | $9,581 | 6.9% |
| St. Louis city | $11,145 | $929 | $18,747 | 14.7% |
| St. Louis County | $13,848 | $1,154 | $25,523 | 12.8% |
| Ste. Genevieve County | $5,718 | $477 | $10,993 | 6.7% |
| Stoddard County | $4,510 | $376 | $9,571 | 6.5% |
| Stone County | $5,074 | $423 | $10,340 | 7.1% |
| Sullivan County | $5,931 | $494 | $10,894 | 8.6% |
| Taney County | $5,118 | $427 | $10,654 | 7.3% |
| Texas County | $3,866 | $322 | $9,033 | 6.2% |
| Vernon County | $5,355 | $446 | $10,562 | 7.5% |
| Warren County | $8,859 | $738 | $15,868 | 9.7% |
| Washington County | $4,617 | $385 | $9,622 | 7.0% |
| Wayne County | $4,832 | $403 | $9,929 | 8.5% |
| Webster County | $6,095 | $508 | $12,542 | 7.7% |
| Worth County | $6,107 | $509 | $11,217 | 9.0% |
| Wright County | $5,423 | $452 | $10,593 | 9.6% |
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.
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Cost of living · Income tax · Child care costs
Metro areasSt. Louis, MO · Kansas City, MO
Run the numbersTake-home pay in Missouri · What a salary is worth in Missouri · How much rent you can afford · What a car costs in Missouri