A daycare in King of Prussia. (Shutterstock)
The statewide average annual cost of center-based child care in Pennsylvania was $10,710 last year, up about 20% from 2019.
While employment numbers in Pennsylvania’s child care industry seem to have recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, affordability concerns remain, according to a new report.
Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office recently released an update on the state’s child care industry which showed that last year, there were 46,400 employees in the private child care sector, which exceeds pre-pandemic levels from 2019 by 1,200 employees. The industry saw its lowest employment rate in 2020, with only 26,300 employees in the sector.
The average weekly salary for child care workers has also increased since 2019, by 34%. In 2019, the average weekly salary for a child care worker was $449. Last year, it was $603.
Despite the employment recovery, the cost of child care has grown significantly since the onset of the pandemic, and child care services eat up a sizable portion of a family income. Between 2019 and 2024, the average price for child care in Pennsylvania increased by roughly 20%.
The average annual cost of center-based child care in Pennsylvania in 2024 was $10,710, up from $9,005 in 2019.
The counties that saw the biggest increase in center-based child care costs from 2019 to 2024 are Sullivan (28%), Perry (26%), Juniata (25%), Susquehanna (25%), and Indiana (22%).
The average annual cost of home-based child care in Pennsylvania in 2024 was $8,632, up from $7,308 in 2019.
The counties that saw the biggest increase in home-based child care from 2019 to 2024 are Greene (27%), Washington (27%), Mercer (26%), Lackawanna (25%), and Wayne (24%).
Author
Support Our Cause
Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Pennsylvanians and our future.
Since day one, our goal here at The Keystone has always been to empower people across the commonwealth with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Pennsylvania families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.
Pa. lawmakers introduce bill to expand unemployment access for domestic violence survivors
A bipartisan bill in the state legislature would put in an ‘express lane’ for victims of domestic violence to get their unemployment claims through...
Way more Americans are getting sterilized since Roe was struck down, research finds
A new study has found that from May to August 2022, vasectomies surged by 95% and tubal sterilizations increased by 70% among adults ages 19 to 26....
Medicaid now covers doula services in Pennsylvania to support maternal health
Pennsylvania is the 13th state to provide coverage for doula services under Medicaid, enabling residents to have more access to physical and...
People are leaving states with abortion bans, according to study
A new analysis from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that since 2022, states with near-total abortion bans appear to have lost 36,000...
Pa. lawmakers gear up to defend reproductive rights
Members of the Pa. Women’s Health Caucus celebrated their legislative victories from the previous session and announced their agenda to protect...
