NEW: “High Cost of Child Care Shapes Families’ Choices and Futures”

A new 2025 American Family Survey shows a sharp shift in how Americans view the cost of raising children. Seven in ten respondents now say raising kids is too expensive, a 13-point jump from last year. And for the first time in the survey’s 11-year history, finances are the top reason Americans have capped the size of their family, cited twice as often as any other factor.

Additional national polling from the First Five Years Fund underscores the trend: 1 in 5 rural parents (20%) say they are putting off having more children because child care is so expensive.

Top Findings

• 70% say raising children is too expensive, up 13 points from 2024.
• Finances are now the No. 1 reason families limit the number of children they have, with 43% citing “insufficient money” as the primary factor in their decision to limit the number of children they plan to have..
• Average annual price of center-based child care: $15,570.

FFYF Viewpoint 

As FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling said: “Families are telling us loud and clear that the cost of raising children, especially the cost of child care, is pushing them toward decisions they never thought they’d have to make. Without meaningful federal action to make child care more affordable, parents will continue facing impossible barriers to growing their families and supporting their children.”

Context & Opportunities 

These findings add to a growing body of research showing that child care affordability is directly shaping family decisions, workforce participation, and economic stability. Families across the country are reporting that rising costs, especially child care, are influencing not just day-to-day choices, but long-term plans about work and family.

The data points to an urgent need for policies that make child care more affordable and accessible for working families. Strengthening CCDBG, Head Start, child care tax credits, and investing in the workforce and supply of providers would help ensure families can find and afford the care they need.

Congress has a number of bipartisan proposals on the table that would help lower child care costs and expand access for families. Several bills currently under consideration would:

• Increase federal investments in child care programs
• Help more families afford care through tax credits and direct assistance
  Support providers and stabilize the child care workforce