Millions of Americans are struggling with the rising costs of childcare, but the pain also varies widely depending on where you live. In March, the Department of Labor released for the first time county-by-county childcare-spending data. My colleagues and I at, a data-exploration project that spotlights social inequities, broke down the data to uncover what was fueling the rocketing costs of childcare.
The reasons for these differences are equally as stark. The most expensive counties generally have fewer childcare workers or the state doesn't provide enough financial support for low-income families. In other counties, lax state regulations for childcare can drive down costs, but the quality of the programs can suffer in turn. In some cases, parents simply don't know the options out there for them, which leaves money on the table each year.
While costs have been growing for decades, the pandemic brought new challenges that made the crisis even worse. For one, many daycare workers were pushed out of the industry by mounting health risks and