Top 10 Most Expensive States for Childcare: Oregon Takes Top Rank

A new study found that child care costs in more than half of US states costs more than tuition and fees at state colleges.

The average cost of putting an infant into a child care center vaulted 2.7 percent between 2011 and 2012, according to a new analysis by Child Care Aware of America, a nonprofit advocacy group focused on child care access.

Oregon was the most expensive state for childcare with 18.6 percent of the average household income going towards childcare. New York, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Colorado rounded out the top five. 

Full time care for an infant ranged from a high of $16,430 a year in Massachusetts to $4,863 in Mississippi. Meanwhile, center-based care for a four-year-old hit a high of $12,355 in Massachusetts and a low of $4,312 in Mississippi.

The rise in cost has been attributed to the differences in labor costs, state regulations and cost of living expenses, such as housing, food and utilities.

The sixth most expensive state was California with 14.8 percent of the average household income going towards childcare. Illinois, Hawaii, Washington and Kansas rounded out the top 10 spots.

The group surveyed state and local child care resource and referral offices about the average price of care for infants, 4-year-olds and schoolchildren, getting responses from 48 out of 50 states, plus the District of Columbia.

"In order to meet those (standards), it costs money," said Jessica Klos Shapiro, public policy and communications coordinator at the nonprofit Early Care & Learning Council in New York.

Center-based infant care for one child was greater than median rent payments in nearly half of the states, while fees for two children (an infant and a four-year-old) exceeded rent in all 50 states.