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 $9,125 a year in the typical county in Wisconsin, or $760 a month, 13.5% more than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $17,642 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 Wisconsin's 72 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 17.8% of the total in the typical county. In 10 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 Wisconsin costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Brown County ($15,741), Dane County ($15,741) and Eau Claire County ($15,741), and least in Waushara County ($8,669), Washburn County ($8,669) and Vilas County ($8,669). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Adams County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 11.1% |
| Ashland County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 11.1% |
| Barron County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 11.1% |
| Bayfield County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.3% |
| Brown County | $15,741 | $1,312 | $28,212 | 15.7% |
| Buffalo County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.5% |
| Burnett County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 11.1% |
| Calumet County | $12,775 | $1,065 | $24,029 | 11.8% |
| Chippewa County | $11,558 | $963 | $21,535 | 12.2% |
| Clark County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.6% |
| Columbia County | $11,558 | $963 | $20,866 | 11.8% |
| Crawford County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 11.4% |
| Dane County | $15,741 | $1,312 | $28,212 | 12.9% |
| Dodge County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 10.0% |
| Door County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 9.5% |
| Douglas County | $12,775 | $1,065 | $24,029 | 13.0% |
| Dunn County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 10.0% |
| Eau Claire County | $15,741 | $1,312 | $28,212 | 15.8% |
| Florence County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 11.3% |
| Fond du Lac County | $12,775 | $1,065 | $24,029 | 13.0% |
| Forest County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 12.2% |
| Grant County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 10.6% |
| Green County | $11,558 | $963 | $21,535 | 11.8% |
| Green Lake County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 10.8% |
| Iowa County | $10,342 | $862 | $19,649 | 9.9% |
| Iron County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 12.0% |
| Jackson County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 11.3% |
| Jefferson County | $10,342 | $862 | $20,075 | 10.3% |
| Juneau County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.9% |
| Kenosha County | $15,741 | $1,312 | $28,212 | 15.6% |
| Kewaunee County | $10,342 | $862 | $19,649 | 10.8% |
| La Crosse County | $15,741 | $1,312 | $28,212 | 15.9% |
| Lafayette County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.0% |
| Langlade County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 12.2% |
| Lincoln County | $11,558 | $963 | $21,535 | 13.1% |
| Manitowoc County | $10,342 | $862 | $20,075 | 11.9% |
| Marathon County | $12,775 | $1,065 | $24,029 | 13.5% |
| Marinette County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 12.0% |
| Marquette County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 11.1% |
| Menominee County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 13.3% |
| Milwaukee County | $15,741 | $1,312 | $28,212 | 19.2% |
| Monroe County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 10.8% |
| Oconto County | $10,342 | $862 | $19,649 | 11.4% |
| Oneida County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 10.2% |
| Outagamie County | $12,775 | $1,065 | $24,029 | 12.3% |
| Ozaukee County | $12,775 | $1,065 | $24,029 | 10.4% |
| Pepin County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.0% |
| Pierce County | $11,558 | $963 | $21,535 | 10.4% |
| Polk County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 9.6% |
| Portage County | $10,342 | $862 | $20,075 | 10.7% |
| Price County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 11.6% |
| Racine County | $15,741 | $1,312 | $28,212 | 16.8% |
| Richland County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 11.2% |
| Rock County | $15,741 | $1,312 | $28,212 | 17.8% |
| Rusk County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 11.8% |
| Sauk County | $10,342 | $862 | $20,075 | 10.9% |
| Sawyer County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 11.1% |
| Shawano County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.8% |
| Sheboygan County | $12,775 | $1,065 | $24,029 | 13.9% |
| St. Croix County | $11,558 | $963 | $21,535 | 9.4% |
| Taylor County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.9% |
| Trempealeau County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 9.6% |
| Vernon County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 9.8% |
| Vilas County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.4% |
| Walworth County | $10,342 | $862 | $20,075 | 10.4% |
| Washburn County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.9% |
| Washington County | $12,775 | $1,065 | $24,029 | 11.3% |
| Waukesha County | $15,741 | $1,312 | $28,212 | 12.1% |
| Waupaca County | $9,125 | $760 | $17,642 | 10.4% |
| Waushara County | $8,669 | $722 | $16,881 | 10.8% |
| Winnebago County | $15,741 | $1,312 | $28,212 | 16.5% |
| Wood County | $10,342 | $862 | $20,075 | 12.6% |
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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