Average income explains 75% of the pricing variation on a state-wide level. Of course individual facilities, offerings, and neighborhoods will have a big impact on the final price.
We reviewed publicly listed pricing from thousands of pet care facilities and compared it with 2025 data to see what businesses are charging and how prices are changing.
Explore the data below to see how your rates compare locally and nationwide.
Since 2025, 17% of daycare prices were removed from the website, indicating that pricing had moved to a booking engine, moved to a membership model, or had become dynamic. 36.6% of facilities surveyed increased their price from 2025, with an average increase of $4.38. Nationally, daycare prices were up by $1.49 a 4.2% increase.
Our data also highlights that certain regions can be twice as pricey as others:
Washington, D.C. showed the highest average rate at $48.92, almost double Mississippi’s $24.85. Unsurprisingly, states with large urban areas tend to have higher daycare fees overall.
Average income explains 75% of the pricing variation on a state-wide level. Of course individual facilities, offerings, and neighborhoods will have a big impact on the final price.
Within each state, prices can vary considerably. This variability can give you a sense of how much room you may have to move your price before you start looking noticeably more expensive or less expensive than the rest of your market.
Highest Daycare Prices: Vermont had the single highest daycare rate of $90, followed closely by a facility in New Jersey at $85.
Lowest High-End Price: The most expensive daycare we found in North Dakota was $37, which is less than half of Vermont’s peak price.
View state-level statistics by exploring the map below.