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 $10,794 a year in the typical county in Montana, or $899 a month, 34.2% more than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $20,795 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 13.6% 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, none of Montana's 56 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 17.6% of the total in the typical county.
Build a budget with your own child care cost, or see the rest of what Montana costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Stillwater County ($12,753), Treasure County ($12,335) and Yellowstone County ($12,331), and least in Daniels County ($9,687), Judith Basin County ($10,196) and Meagher County ($10,200). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Beaverhead County | $10,676 | $890 | $20,564 | 13.8% |
| Big Horn County | $10,650 | $888 | $20,516 | 16.6% |
| Blaine County | $10,523 | $877 | $20,301 | 13.2% |
| Broadwater County | $10,799 | $900 | $20,800 | 13.4% |
| Carbon County | $12,003 | $1,000 | $24,006 | 13.4% |
| Carter County | $10,356 | $863 | $19,939 | 16.2% |
| Cascade County | $11,965 | $997 | $23,930 | 14.2% |
| Chouteau County | $10,395 | $866 | $20,044 | 12.6% |
| Custer County | $11,944 | $995 | $23,036 | 13.3% |
| Daniels County | $9,687 | $807 | $18,624 | 11.3% |
| Dawson County | $11,277 | $940 | $21,747 | 13.3% |
| Deer Lodge County | $10,389 | $866 | $20,039 | 14.8% |
| Fallon County | $11,439 | $953 | $22,053 | 9.9% |
| Fergus County | $10,552 | $879 | $20,308 | 12.6% |
| Flathead County | $11,207 | $934 | $21,559 | 12.8% |
| Gallatin County | $12,029 | $1,002 | $23,114 | 10.8% |
| Garfield County | $10,473 | $873 | $20,197 | 13.6% |
| Glacier County | $10,362 | $864 | $19,988 | 18.6% |
| Golden Valley County | $10,977 | $915 | $21,117 | 15.8% |
| Granite County | $10,350 | $863 | $19,951 | 14.3% |
| Hill County | $10,560 | $880 | $20,352 | 13.9% |
| Jefferson County | $11,227 | $936 | $21,604 | 11.5% |
| Judith Basin County | $10,196 | $850 | $19,645 | 12.4% |
| Lake County | $11,026 | $919 | $21,241 | 14.4% |
| Lewis and Clark County | $10,935 | $911 | $21,018 | 11.0% |
| Liberty County | $10,609 | $884 | $20,464 | 17.4% |
| Lincoln County | $10,939 | $912 | $21,079 | 17.8% |
| Madison County | $11,529 | $961 | $22,209 | 14.4% |
| McCone County | $10,381 | $865 | $20,011 | 11.7% |
| Meagher County | $10,200 | $850 | $19,647 | 13.9% |
| Mineral County | $10,692 | $891 | $20,623 | 15.1% |
| Missoula County | $11,894 | $991 | $23,788 | 12.3% |
| Musselshell County | $11,558 | $963 | $22,303 | 17.2% |
| Park County | $10,909 | $909 | $20,990 | 11.7% |
| Petroleum County | $10,440 | $870 | $20,138 | 13.3% |
| Phillips County | $10,514 | $876 | $20,283 | 13.9% |
| Pondera County | $10,889 | $907 | $20,995 | 14.7% |
| Powder River County | $11,171 | $931 | $21,538 | 11.3% |
| Powell County | $10,835 | $903 | $20,897 | 15.3% |
| Prairie County | $10,940 | $912 | $21,079 | 15.7% |
| Ravalli County | $11,042 | $920 | $21,257 | 12.8% |
| Richland County | $10,763 | $897 | $20,710 | 12.3% |
| Roosevelt County | $10,464 | $872 | $20,187 | 16.1% |
| Rosebud County | $10,659 | $888 | $20,558 | 16.0% |
| Sanders County | $10,446 | $871 | $20,124 | 16.0% |
| Sheridan County | $11,262 | $939 | $21,705 | 12.4% |
| Silver Bow County | $10,788 | $899 | $20,789 | 13.8% |
| Stillwater County | $12,753 | $1,063 | $25,505 | 12.5% |
| Sweet Grass County | $10,603 | $884 | $20,417 | 12.0% |
| Teton County | $11,712 | $976 | $22,588 | 14.1% |
| Toole County | $10,322 | $860 | $19,899 | 13.1% |
| Treasure County | $12,335 | $1,028 | $23,807 | 14.6% |
| Valley County | $10,470 | $873 | $20,188 | 11.9% |
| Wheatland County | $10,751 | $896 | $20,738 | 17.3% |
| Wibaux County | $12,009 | $1,001 | $23,150 | 13.6% |
| Yellowstone County | $12,331 | $1,028 | $24,662 | 13.1% |
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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