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 $9,922 a year in the typical county in Pennsylvania, or $827 a month, 23.4% more than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $18,941 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 11.1% 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 Pennsylvania's 67 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 18.8% of the total in the typical county. In 2 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 Pennsylvania costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Montgomery County ($15,784), Chester County ($15,269) and Bucks County ($14,560), and least in Somerset County ($6,120), Huntingdon County ($6,120) and Clearfield County ($6,926). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Adams County | $11,275 | $940 | $22,150 | 11.5% |
| Allegheny County | $12,402 | $1,034 | $24,482 | 11.6% |
| Armstrong County | $10,630 | $886 | $21,583 | 12.8% |
| Beaver County | $11,275 | $940 | $21,505 | 12.4% |
| Bedford County | $7,087 | $591 | $14,174 | 9.0% |
| Berks County | $11,597 | $966 | $22,111 | 12.1% |
| Blair County | $10,373 | $864 | $18,426 | 12.5% |
| Bradford County | $8,536 | $711 | $16,429 | 10.6% |
| Bucks County | $14,560 | $1,213 | $28,734 | 10.8% |
| Butler County | $12,144 | $1,012 | $24,868 | 10.7% |
| Cambria County | $8,053 | $671 | $17,202 | 10.1% |
| Cameron County | $7,731 | $644 | $16,143 | 12.5% |
| Carbon County | $8,536 | $711 | $17,234 | 10.6% |
| Centre County | $14,496 | $1,208 | $24,353 | 13.4% |
| Chester County | $15,269 | $1,272 | $33,308 | 10.1% |
| Clarion County | $7,892 | $658 | $15,784 | 9.9% |
| Clearfield County | $6,926 | $577 | $13,852 | 9.2% |
| Clinton County | $7,892 | $658 | $15,269 | 10.6% |
| Columbia County | $9,020 | $752 | $18,684 | 11.6% |
| Crawford County | $7,892 | $658 | $15,784 | 10.6% |
| Cumberland County | $12,950 | $1,079 | $24,546 | 12.0% |
| Dauphin County | $10,630 | $886 | $23,322 | 11.2% |
| Delaware County | $13,207 | $1,101 | $25,126 | 11.4% |
| Elk County | $7,570 | $631 | $15,462 | 9.1% |
| Erie County | $10,598 | $883 | $20,624 | 13.0% |
| Fayette County | $10,630 | $886 | $20,455 | 14.2% |
| Forest County | $8,375 | $698 | $16,771 | 13.7% |
| Franklin County | $9,664 | $805 | $18,684 | 10.9% |
| Fulton County | $7,087 | $591 | $14,174 | 8.7% |
| Greene County | $12,402 | $1,034 | $24,804 | 14.4% |
| Huntingdon County | $6,120 | $510 | $11,275 | 7.5% |
| Indiana County | $8,698 | $725 | $17,754 | 10.9% |
| Jefferson County | $9,100 | $758 | $18,220 | 12.9% |
| Juniata County | $8,053 | $671 | $16,106 | 10.2% |
| Lackawanna County | $10,843 | $904 | $21,505 | 12.8% |
| Lancaster County | $12,595 | $1,050 | $23,483 | 12.5% |
| Lawrence County | $11,275 | $940 | $22,227 | 13.9% |
| Lebanon County | $11,726 | $977 | $22,034 | 12.8% |
| Lehigh County | $10,952 | $913 | $21,905 | 11.6% |
| Luzerne County | $9,986 | $832 | $20,101 | 12.4% |
| Lycoming County | $7,409 | $617 | $14,625 | 9.2% |
| McKean County | $7,570 | $631 | $15,462 | 9.7% |
| Mercer County | $11,331 | $944 | $23,249 | 14.4% |
| Mifflin County | $8,053 | $671 | $16,106 | 11.2% |
| Monroe County | $9,664 | $805 | $19,650 | 10.0% |
| Montgomery County | $15,784 | $1,315 | $32,393 | 11.3% |
| Montour County | $9,922 | $827 | $18,941 | 10.8% |
| Northampton County | $11,081 | $923 | $21,583 | 10.4% |
| Northumberland County | $7,514 | $626 | $15,084 | 9.7% |
| Perry County | $11,919 | $993 | $21,905 | 12.7% |
| Philadelphia County | $12,563 | $1,047 | $23,515 | 17.7% |
| Pike County | $10,308 | $859 | $20,294 | 11.1% |
| Potter County | $8,182 | $682 | $16,264 | 10.9% |
| Schuylkill County | $7,409 | $617 | $14,335 | 9.3% |
| Snyder County | $7,248 | $604 | $13,852 | 9.0% |
| Somerset County | $6,120 | $510 | $12,600 | 8.0% |
| Sullivan County | $8,698 | $725 | $17,110 | 10.6% |
| Susquehanna County | $8,536 | $711 | $16,429 | 10.5% |
| Tioga County | $8,375 | $698 | $17,095 | 11.0% |
| Union County | $7,248 | $604 | $13,852 | 7.6% |
| Venango County | $8,536 | $711 | $17,073 | 11.1% |
| Warren County | $7,570 | $631 | $15,462 | 10.0% |
| Washington County | $12,885 | $1,074 | $24,482 | 12.5% |
| Wayne County | $10,308 | $859 | $20,960 | 13.3% |
| Westmoreland County | $11,597 | $966 | $23,193 | 12.2% |
| Wyoming County | $10,630 | $886 | $20,745 | 12.5% |
| York County | $11,532 | $961 | $23,193 | 11.6% |
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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