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 $9,355 a year in the typical county in New Mexico, or $780 a month, 16.4% more than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $17,126 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 14.3% 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, 1 of New Mexico's 33 counties meets 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 16.0% of the total in the typical county.
Build a budget with your own child care cost, or see the rest of what New Mexico costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Sandoval County ($12,698), Santa Fe County ($11,687) and Los Alamos County ($11,206), and least in Cibola County ($8,924), Rio Arriba County ($8,963) and McKinley County ($8,970). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Bernalillo County | $10,986 | $916 | $19,998 | 13.0% |
| Catron County | $9,318 | $777 | $17,060 | 14.3% |
| Chaves County | $9,181 | $765 | $16,809 | 15.0% |
| Cibola County | $8,924 | $744 | $16,338 | 13.9% |
| Colfax County | $9,291 | $774 | $17,009 | 14.3% |
| Curry County | $9,425 | $785 | $17,256 | 13.8% |
| De Baca County | $9,270 | $773 | $16,970 | 11.2% |
| Dona Ana County | $9,691 | $808 | $17,641 | 15.6% |
| Eddy County | $9,513 | $793 | $17,416 | 9.8% |
| Grant County | $9,042 | $754 | $16,555 | 12.1% |
| Guadalupe County | $9,318 | $777 | $17,060 | 15.3% |
| Harding County | $9,318 | $777 | $17,060 | 10.5% |
| Hidalgo County | $9,355 | $780 | $17,126 | 14.3% |
| Lea County | $9,782 | $815 | $17,908 | 12.4% |
| Lincoln County | $9,316 | $776 | $17,056 | 13.4% |
| Los Alamos County | $11,206 | $934 | $20,516 | 6.8% |
| Luna County | $9,353 | $779 | $17,123 | 18.3% |
| McKinley County | $8,970 | $748 | $16,422 | 17.9% |
| Mora County | $9,318 | $777 | $17,060 | 17.9% |
| Otero County | $9,371 | $781 | $17,156 | 13.8% |
| Quay County | $9,201 | $767 | $16,844 | 17.9% |
| Rio Arriba County | $8,963 | $747 | $16,409 | 12.9% |
| Roosevelt County | $9,371 | $781 | $17,156 | 14.0% |
| San Juan County | $9,652 | $804 | $17,570 | 15.6% |
| San Miguel County | $9,355 | $780 | $17,126 | 14.7% |
| Sandoval County | $12,698 | $1,058 | $23,115 | 13.4% |
| Santa Fe County | $11,687 | $974 | $21,274 | 13.1% |
| Sierra County | $9,355 | $780 | $17,126 | 16.3% |
| Socorro County | $9,355 | $780 | $17,126 | 15.9% |
| Taos County | $9,845 | $820 | $18,023 | 12.6% |
| Torrance County | $9,695 | $808 | $17,648 | 14.9% |
| Union County | $9,318 | $777 | $17,060 | 15.1% |
| Valencia County | $10,362 | $864 | $18,862 | 15.6% |
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.
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