Childcare Affordability

Raising a family with children is expensive.

The family calculator is a policy tool that allows users to select their county and based on median income for that county, understand whether or not a family can access the licensed child care market after paying basic monthly expenses. For families who wish to see if they qualify for a child care subsidy, please visit the Utah Department of Workforce Services, Office of Child Care web page.

About the calculator

The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) worked in partnership with Promise Partnership Utah and Voices for Utah Children to develop a price calculator that shows child care affordability for families.

Customize Expenses

Auto-populated expenses reflect the monthly averages for all Utah households.
Type in actual monthly expenses if higher or lower than the average. Do not use the $ sign. Just insert the number.
Health Insurance. For a family of 5, type in 2161 (no $ signs, no commas). Or, use the monthly cost of your health insurance. For example, some individuals may have employer-sponsored health care coverage, which could reduce the costs for employees.

Vehicle Expenses

In Utah, 96% of households have at least one car. The average household has 2.5 vehicles and 32.3% have 3 or more vehicles.
Vehicle related expenses reflect the monthly averages for one vehicle and one driver in Utah. Double these expenses if the family has 2 cars. If the family has 1 car, but 2 drivers, double the car insurance payment field.
 Type in actual monthly expenses if higher or lower than the average. Do not use the $ sign. Just insert the number.

Child Care Prices

The price of child care varies based on the age and number of children in care as well as the type of setting and the locality.
A market rate study collects child care prices from providers statewide.
Prices vary across the counties.
The child care prices reflect prices at the 75th percentile of the 2024 Utah Child Care Market Rate Study. The 75th percentile means that parents have choices among 75 percent of providers, a benchmark for equal access (parent choice).

Customize Need for Child Care

In this field, enter 1 if you have 1 child who needs care. Enter 2 if you have 2 children who need care. If you have triplets, enter 3.

Customize Need for Child Care

In this field, enter 1 if you have 1 child who needs care. Enter 2 if you have 2 children who need care. If you have triplets, enter 3.

Customize Need for Child Care

In this field, enter 1 if you have 1 child who needs care. Enter 2 if you have 2 children who need care. If you have triplets, enter 3.

Customize Need for Child Care

In this field, enter 1 if you have 1 child who needs care. Enter 2 if you have 2 children who need care. If you have triplets, enter 3.

Customize Need for Child Care

In this field, enter 1 if you have 1 child who needs care. Enter 2 if you have 2 children who need care. If you have triplets, enter 3.

Customize Need for Child Care

In this field, enter 1 if you have 1 child who needs care. Enter 2 if you have 2 children who need care. If you have triplets, enter 3.

Child Care Subsidy

In Utah, child care for an infant in a rural child care center is 16% of state median income (SMI). This is more than double the affordability recommendation of 7% of household income by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
States determine eligibility for child care subsidy. In Utah, families are eligible for subsidy with income up to 85% of SMI. For a family of 3 -- a monthly income of up to $6,637. For a family of 4 -- a monthly income of up to $7,902.
Note: Affordability is one barrier to accessing child care. Another is supply. In October of 2023, Voices for Utah Children released Mapping Care for Kids: A County-Level Look at Utah’s Crisis in Licensed Child Care. The report found that licensed child care program capacity fails to meet the needs of two-thirds of Utah children under age 6 with working parents.

For more information on child care licenses and certificates, go to Utah Child Care Licensing.

Sources

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates; U.S. Energy Information Administration; U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Thrifty Food Plan; Move.Org; Value Penguin, Utah health insurance; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration; the 2024 Utah Child Care Market Rate Survey Report, and Utah 2024-2025 child care subsidy eligibility. For additional information related to sources (links, tables, and articles), download the Sources list.