Some Western Slope families are spending up to one-third of their salary on child care — while others are still waitlisted

Child care in Colorado is getting more expensive — and in some places, harder to find.

Colorado ranks fifth in the country for most expensive infant care, according to an August report by the Common Sense Institute of Colorado.

In Colorado, child care costs anywhere between 10.5% and 38.2% of household income, depending on the county. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ benchmark for affordable child care says it should not cost more than 7%.

The average monthly bill for child care can go above $1,600 per child in some counties, according to the report. This means some families are spending more on child care than on some of their basic monthly expenses, such as rent, transportation and food.

The increasing cost burden of child care can be credited to several economic and geographic factors, though one of the most prevalent in Colorado includes the low availability of licensed child care spots. The report states that roughly 51% of Colorado is in a “child care desert.”

In addition, only four of Colorado’s 64 counties have enough licensed child care slots for the number of children under six years of age.

Child care cost and availability by county

Every county on Colorado’s Western Slope exceeds the federal affordability benchmark of 7%, to varying degrees. Even Denver, which has the lowest percentage of household income spent on child care at 18.3%, is more than double the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Affordability

Pitkin, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties were identified as having better-than-average affordability relative to the cost in other counties and the area’s average income. Meanwhile, Summit, Grand, Routt, Eagle and Garfield are more expensive than average for Colorado.

The average monthly cost of child care for one child in Summit County is $1,594. With an average monthly wage of $4,732, the average parent is dedicating almost 34% of their income to child care. In other words, for a parent making an average salary in Summit County, just over one-third of a work week — 14.6 hours — is required to cover the cost.

The cost is slightly less in Grand County — $1,418 — but with a lower monthly wage of $4,199, the percentage of dedicated income is almost identical.

Moffat and Rio Blanco counties are on the lower end of the monthly wage devoted to child care. The monthly price of care for one child in Moffat County is $956, roughly 19.5% of the region’s average income. Rio Blanco’s similar child care rate of $953 means a resident making the average income of $5,148 is spending 18.5% of their income.

Availability

All Western Slope counties have more children under six than the total number of available child care slots, meaning wait lists are more than common.

Pitkin has the fith-most availability in the state relative to the county’s population, with 0.85 spots for each child. Despite having just under 600 available child care slots, data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Colorado Department of Early Education indicate the county has roughly 100 more children than the number of slots.

Summit and Eagle Counties are slightly above the 50% mark, with 0.64 and 0.62 slots per child under six, respectively.

Garfield County has one of the largest populations of children that qualify for child care, at just over 4,700. The county’s 1,794 existing slots mean just over one-third of children under six will be able to enroll in traditional child care in the county where they live.