Jun 25, 2025 - News
Louisiana day care costs top $20k for two children
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The rising cost of child care is outpacing inflation, according to a new report.
Why it matters: Climbing childcare costs put a huge financial strain on families, forcing some parents — typically women — to either ratchet back their working hours or leave the labor force entirely, writes Axios' Emily Peck.
Zoom in: Louisiana families are paying about 35% of their median household income to keep two kids — one infant and one toddler — in day care, according to data from Child Care Aware, an advocacy group.
- The average annual child care cost for that hypothetical family in 2023 was $20,200, while the median household annual income in the state was $57,650, based on Census data released in 2024.
The big picture: Nationally, the annual cost of day care tuition for the same two children — a toddler and an infant — was $28,168 last year, the data show.
- The report found that, nationally, prices rose 29% from 2020 to 2024.