Which States Use the Most Paid Child Care?

February 9, 2016
mcsnead
Graphic, Maps, Pic of the Week, Research, Uncategorized

There is surprisingly little data on the topic. We provided an answer to this question in completing a recent project on child care at the state level for the Committee for Economic Development (ced.org). What did we find?

At the state level, enrollment in paid care varies from a low of 15.9 percent in both Utah and West Virginia to a high of 37.2 percent in North Dakota. Thirty states have a share of children in paid care between 20 percent and 28 percent, a fairly narrow range extending roughly 4 percentage points above and below the 23.8 percent national share. Ten states have a share below 20 percent, while ten have a share above 28 percent.

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The five states with the lowest rates of paid care include Utah (15.9 percent), West Virginia (15.9 percent), New Mexico (17.0 percent), Arizona (18.5 percent), and Hawaii (18.8 percent). Other states use a significantly higher share of paid care, often at more than twice the rate of the lowest usage states.

The highest overall usage rates are found in North Dakota (37.2 percent), South Dakota (36.9 percent), Nebraska (36.2 percent), Minnesota (35.8 percent), Vermont (34.0 percent), and Iowa (32.0 percent). Most of these states are located in the upper Midwest and generally have much-higher-than-average usage rates for both preschool and school-age children.

The table below details estimates of the share of children ages 14 and under in paid child care in each state, including a breakout of the totals for both preschool and school-age children.

Usage rates for preschool children ages 4 and under are the most variable across the states. While the national share of preschool children in paid care is 31.4 percent, state rates range from a low of 8.1 percent in Maine (only about one in twelve) to a high of 51.1 percent in North Dakota (one of every two).

For the 20.5 percent of school-age children (ages 5 to 14) in paid care nationally in the CPS survey, usage rates fall within a much narrower range, from a low of 14.1 percent in Maine to a high of 30.8 percent in South Dakota.

Children Ages 14 and Under in Paid Child Care by State
Region	Total Children of Child Care Age			Children In Paid Child Care			Share in Paid Child Care
Region	Total	Ages 0-4	Ages 5-14	Total	Ages 0-4	Ages 5-14	Total	Ages 0-4	Ages 5-14
United States	61,089,123	19,868,088	41,221,035	13,857,336	5,954,524	8,028,735	23.8%	31.4%	20.5%

Alabama	921,016	297,104	623,912	185,677	76,285	110,535	20.2%	25.7%	17.7%
Alaska	157,878	55,392	102,486	37,489	15,344	22,534	23.7%	27.7%	22.0%
Arizona	1,347,565	431,758	915,807	249,556	106,246	146,332	18.5%	24.6%	16.0%
Arkansas	591,324	192,916	398,408	116,426	53,130	62,971	19.7%	27.5%	15.8%
California	7,598,091	2,507,536	5,090,555	1,523,458	610,783	922,476	20.1%	24.4%	18.1%
Colorado	1,038,870	335,136	703,734	250,923	108,820	145,429	24.2%	32.5%	20.7%
Connecticut	639,273	191,937	447,336	170,047	68,518	102,216	26.6%	35.7%	22.8%
Delaware	170,244	56,319	113,925	37,465	15,820	21,916	22.0%	28.1%	19.2%
Dist. of Columbia	96,084	40,967	55,117	30,450	15,388	15,332	31.7%	37.6%	27.8%
Florida	3,324,369	1,078,313	2,246,056	721,768	304,708	428,820	21.7%	28.3%	19.1%
Georgia	2,077,631	668,508	1,409,123	451,323	198,336	259,786	21.7%	29.7%	18.4%
Hawaii	259,190	90,770	168,420	48,630	21,181	27,865	18.8%	23.3%	16.5%
Idaho	357,803	113,487	244,316	71,097	26,705	44,503	19.9%	23.5%	18.2%
Illinois	2,499,834	799,019	1,700,815	554,269	239,002	319,761	22.2%	29.9%	18.8%
Indiana	1,315,506	420,815	894,691	281,341	118,225	166,397	21.4%	28.1%	18.6%
Iowa	602,101	194,726	407,375	192,930	83,130	110,189	32.0%	42.7%	27.0%
Kansas	605,708	200,406	405,302	157,306	72,164	85,763	26.0%	36.0%	21.2%
Kentucky	844,643	274,874	569,769	168,460	74,013	94,586	19.9%	26.9%	16.6%
Louisiana	930,829	308,217	622,612	203,991	102,672	103,721	21.9%	33.3%	16.7%
Maine	213,002	65,014	147,988	59,400	24,002	35,263	27.9%	36.9%	23.8%
Maryland	1,115,466	367,210	748,256	327,634	135,398	195,274	29.4%	36.9%	26.1%
Massachusetts	1,144,025	365,546	778,479	309,114	142,587	169,136	27.0%	39.0%	21.7%
Michigan	1,838,782	572,768	1,266,014	428,273	177,996	255,327	23.3%	31.1%	20.2%
Minnesota	1,066,261	347,567	718,694	381,357	163,198	217,894	35.8%	47.0%	30.3%
Mississippi	614,976	198,426	416,550	138,660	61,738	78,332	22.5%	31.1%	18.8%
Missouri	1,160,974	376,837	784,137	308,687	139,097	173,266	26.6%	36.9%	22.1%
Montana	186,272	61,272	125,000	41,899	18,559	23,671	22.5%	30.3%	18.9%
Nebraska	390,469	130,160	260,309	141,170	61,661	79,208	36.2%	47.4%	30.4%
Nevada	550,411	178,194	372,217	108,350	45,083	62,921	19.7%	25.3%	16.9%
New Hampshire	219,370	65,661	153,709	55,870	23,569	32,488	25.5%	35.9%	21.1%
New Jersey	1,666,413	533,235	1,133,178	358,559	156,257	208,212	21.5%	29.3%	18.4%
New Mexico	424,415	138,724	285,691	72,319	32,030	41,744	17.0%	23.1%	14.6%
New York	3,502,059	1,173,627	2,328,432	675,163	318,838	368,047	19.3%	27.2%	15.8%
North Carolina	1,907,861	612,295	1,295,566	449,998	201,593	255,942	23.6%	32.9%	19.8%
North Dakota	136,970	48,767	88,203	50,935	24,942	26,493	37.2%	51.1%	30.0%
Ohio	2,185,335	690,821	1,494,514	543,521	224,995	322,809	24.9%	32.6%	21.6%
Oklahoma	794,571	264,479	530,092	164,800	71,494	93,997	20.7%	27.0%	17.7%
Oregon	710,576	230,022	480,554	200,885	76,181	125,987	28.3%	33.1%	26.2%
Pennsylvania	2,234,011	715,904	1,518,107	520,530	219,799	306,286	23.3%	30.7%	20.2%
Rhode Island	175,066	54,632	120,434	44,411	16,344	28,366	25.4%	29.9%	23.6%
South Carolina	901,182	292,316	608,866	183,658	83,337	100,957	20.4%	28.5%	16.6%
South Dakota	174,688	59,957	114,731	64,387	29,104	35,336	36.9%	48.5%	30.8%
Tennessee	1,240,428	399,677	840,751	262,424	120,050	143,918	21.2%	30.0%	17.1%
Texas	5,900,424	1,940,825	3,959,599	1,220,505	529,341	702,745	20.7%	27.3%	17.7%
Utah	759,465	253,867	505,598	120,690	42,445	78,304	15.9%	16.7%	15.5%
Vermont	99,777	30,478	69,299	33,970	14,581	19,571	34.0%	47.8%	28.2%
Virginia	1,555,039	512,115	1,042,924	402,039	172,491	232,949	25.9%	33.7%	22.3%
Washington	1,328,817	444,620	884,197	352,085	142,509	210,677	26.5%	32.1%	23.8%
West Virginia	316,000	102,194	213,806	50,351	20,222	30,162	15.9%	19.8%	14.1%
Wisconsin	1,082,722	344,331	738,391	302,780	141,665	164,969	28.0%	41.1%	22.3%
Wyoming	115,337	38,347	76,990	30,307	12,953	17,353	26.3%	33.8%	22.5%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey – March Supplement (2010-2014). Notes: State shares are estimated using the percentage of children ages 0-4 and 5-14 reported as participating in paid child care in the Current Population Survey based on a five-year average share in the 2010-2014 period.

50-States Child Care

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Mark C. Snead is President and Economist at RegionTrack.

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