Pennsylvania’s child care workforce rebounds to pre-pandemic levels, but rising costs remain a challenge

The statewide average annual cost of center-based child care in Pennsylvania was $10,710 last year, up about 20% from 2019.

While employment numbers in Pennsylvania’s child care industry seem to have recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, affordability concerns remain, according to a new report.

Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office recently released an update on the state’s child care industry which showed that last year, there were 46,400 employees in the private child care sector, which exceeds pre-pandemic levels from 2019 by 1,200 employees. The industry saw its lowest employment rate in 2020, with only 26,300 employees in the sector.

The average weekly salary for child care workers has also increased since 2019, by 34%. In 2019, the average weekly salary for a child care worker was $449. Last year, it was $603.

Despite the employment recovery, the cost of child care has grown significantly since the onset of the pandemic, and child care services eat up a sizable portion of a family income. Between 2019 and 2024, the average price for child care in Pennsylvania increased by roughly 20%.

The average annual cost of center-based child care in Pennsylvania in 2024 was $10,710, up from $9,005 in 2019.

The counties that saw the biggest increase in center-based child care costs from 2019 to 2024 are Sullivan (28%), Perry (26%), Juniata (25%), Susquehanna (25%), and Indiana (22%).

The average annual cost of home-based child care in Pennsylvania in 2024 was $8,632, up from $7,308 in 2019.

The counties that saw the biggest increase in home-based child care from 2019 to 2024 are Greene (27%), Washington (27%), Mercer (26%), Lackawanna (25%), and Wayne (24%).