Child care deserts by state
How much licensed child care each state has for the children who actually need it — measured the same way everywhere, so the states compare. “Coverage” is licensed capacity divided by the number of children under 6 with all available parents in the labor force (2022 U.S. Census ACS), summed across every county. Lower means care is harder to find.
Ranked by statewide coverage
Most-scarce first. Coverage counts all-ages licensed slots against under-6 need, so it's a generous ceiling: a state below 100% has a real gap even by that forgiving measure.
| State | Coverage | Counties under 50% | No-supply counties | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 46% | 79 / 102 | 4 | map · report |
| Washington | 56% | 29 / 39 | 1 | map · report |
| Louisiana | 57% | 28 / 64 | 2 | report |
| California | 58% | 23 / 58 | 0 | map · report |
| Wisconsin | 67% | 44 / 72 | 1 | map · report |
| Pennsylvania | 74% | 32 / 67 | 1 | map · report |
| Georgia | 78% | 67 / 159 | 6 | report |
| New York | 82% | 15 / 62 | 0 | map · report |
| North Dakota | 82% | 7 / 53 | 1 | report |
| Massachusetts | 84% | 0 / 14 | 0 | map · report |
| Texas | 86% | 78 / 254 | 11 | map · report |
| Arizona | 87% | 7 / 15 | 0 | map · report |
| New Jersey | 89% | 1 / 21 | 0 | map · report |
| Michigan | 92% | 1 / 83 | 0 | map · report |
| Colorado | 101% | 5 / 64 | 0 | map · report |
| Nebraska | 115% | 12 / 93 | 8 | map · report |
| Vermont | 134% | 0 / 14 | 0 | map · report |
| Delaware | 161% | 0 / 3 | 0 | map · report |
Tightest supply: Illinois at 46% coverage.
States measured by provider count
These states' public feeds don't include licensed capacity, so we count providers, not slots — not directly comparable to the coverage figures above.
| State | Children who need care per provider | No-supply counties | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | 70.1 | 5 | map · report |
| Ohio | 67.6 | 0 | report |
| Maryland | 42.6 | 1 | map · report |
| Minnesota | 39 | 0 | map · report |
How to read this honestly
- Coverage is a ceiling: licensed slots serve ages 0–12, but the need figure counts under-6 children, so real availability for infants and toddlers is tighter than the percentage suggests.
- A state above 100% is not “solved” — it means total slots exceed under-6 working-parent need on paper; infant care specifically can still be scarce.
- Every figure is county-summed and links to the county-level map, where the real gaps show.
Childcare Alerts is an independent service — not affiliated with any state agency. Built from public state licensing data and U.S. Census ACS estimates. Minnesota and other states' per-county detail is on each state deserts map.