Massachusetts is one of the most expensive states in the country to raise a family
Infant care in Massachusetts averages over $26,000 a year — the highest in the country. For many, that cost is compounded over many years, as some towns still don’t offer full-day kindergarten, forcing working parents to pay for multiple years of care.
In some Massachusetts counties, families spend nearly 20 percent of their income on child care — nearly triple the 7 percent benchmark for affordability set by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
“That’s huge,” said Dr. Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, a public health researcher at BU. “Parents have to pay for childcare generally near the beginning of their career, when they’re not at their top earning potential.”
Housing costs don’t help. In Greater Boston, the median home price surpassed $950,000 in 2024, placing it among the ranks of the country’s most expensive metros and prompting many younger adults to delay or reconsider having children.
“People can’t borrow against their future to pay for daycare,” Ettinger de Cuba said. “And housing and student debt are already stretching them thin. People are making deeply rational choices in a system that’s not set up to support families.”