Here's where child care costs the most, and the least, in Wisconsin, according to new data

If you ask Wisconsin families about their child care situation, you’re bound to hear some startling anecdotes.

Often, child care is one of the biggest expenses in a household’s budget, sometimes surpassing mortgage payments. In dual-income households, one parent may decide it’s more economical to quit their job than pay for care each month.

Chances are by now you’ve also seen headlines about child care costing more than college .

How much does child care cost in Wisconsin, and how do costs fluctuate from county to county? The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families’ newly-released market-rate survey , which examines the cost of licensed full-time care for different age groups in most counties, shines light on these questions.

How much does child care cost in Wisconsin?

Child care prices fluctuate depending on a child’s age, the type of care they receive and where the child care is located.

Center-based care tends to be more expensive than family child care, the latter meaning a program run out of a provider’s home. Also, typically the younger the child, the more expensive the care.

This is often reflected in the recently released market survey results. The data was collected in late 2023. For example, the median annual price for center-based infant care in Milwaukee County is roughly $18,200, but family care for an infant in that county costs roughly $14,800, the survey found.

For a child age 4 or 5, the median cost of center-based care in Milwaukee County is roughly $14,300, and family child care for this age range is approximately $12,400.

Where in Wisconsin is child care most expensive? Least expensive?

When examining the median annual costs of all types and ages of care, three counties showed up consistently as the most expensive: Dane, Waukesha and Milwaukee Counties.

The survey found that center-based infant care in Dane County is the most expensive type of care in the state, with the median annual cost at roughly $20,500. For comparison, the survey found the least-expensive type of child care in the state is family child care for children ages 6 and up in Pepin County, which has a median annual cost of roughly $5,700.

For center-based child care for ages 0 to 5, Bayfield, Rusk and Barron Counties consistently ranked within the least expensive, when considering the median annual costs.

When looking at the least expensive family child care, the answer is a little different. Among all ages considered, Barron County still had some of the least expensive care, but the one licensed family provider Bayfield County had at the time was not surveyed.

What does child care cost in Appleton?

Here’s a breakdown of approximate median annual prices of child care in Outagamie County, according to the survey:

• Center-based infant care (younger than 2 years): $14,300
• Center-based toddler care (2- and 3-year-olds): $13,100
• Family infant care: $10,900
• Family toddler care: $10,400

What does child care cost in Green Bay?

Here’s a breakdown of the approximate median annual prices of child care in Brown County, according to the survey:

• Center-based infant care (younger than 2 years): $14,900
• Center-based toddler care (2- and 3-year-olds): $13,000
• Family infant care: $9,600
• Family toddler care: $9,100

What does child care cost in Milwaukee?

Here’s a breakdown of the approximate median annual prices of child care in Milwaukee County, according to the survey:

• Center-based infant care (younger than 2 years): $18,200
• Center-based toddler care (2- and 3-year-olds): $15,800
• Family infant care: $14,800
• Family toddler care: $13,500

What does child care cost in Wausau?

Here’s a breakdown of the approximate median annual prices of child care in Marathon County, according to the survey:

• Center-based infant care (younger than 2 years): $14,800
• Center-based toddler care (2- and 3-year-olds): $12,800
• Family infant care: $11,500
• Family toddler care: $9,400

Why is child care so expensive, yet profits are so little?

Despite the high prices of care, child care programs often operate on slim profit margins.

There is a plethora of expenses that go into running a high-quality child care program: utilities, rent or mortgage, maintenance, insurance, learning materials and other supplies; the list goes on. Then, there are staff wages.

Most child care programs have few revenue sources outside of the price families pay for care — and to not price families out of the market, providers often charge less than what it actually costs to cover all expenses, including competitive wages and benefits. These few revenue sources have to stretch to cover all costs, many of which are not flexible.

Related: Wisconsin child care workers and doggie daycare workers make nearly the same wages

This means that, by the time all other expenses are accounted for, wages are usually left to suffer. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 data, the median hourly wage of Wisconsin child care workers was $13.78 . That’s less than the median hourly wage of cashiers, maids, housekeeping workers and hotel desk clerks.

Child care providers have told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin that Child Care Counts , a program that provides monthly stabilization payments to child care businesses, helped them to increase wages without having to substantially increase what they charge parents. The funding is set to end mid-2025.

Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108 . Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA .

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Here's where child care costs the most, and the least, in Wisconsin, according to new data