Nearly 11% of Americans Who Aren’t Working Are Caring for Kids
Raising a child is expensive. In fact, child care costs an average of $11,752 annually, according to a 2023 LendingTree study. Being such a hefty expense, it’s understandable that a parent may opt to stay home instead.
Overall, 10.7% of nonretired American adults who aren’t working are taking care of kids instead. Here’s what else we found.
Key findings
- Among those who aren’t retired, 10.7% of American adults out of the workforce say they are because they’re caring for kids not in school or day care. This figure rises to 16.4% among those whose highest degree is a bachelor’s, versus 10.8% among those with some high school education.
- Utahans are the most likely to forgo working to care for kids. In the Beehive State, 26.6% of nonretired adults out of the workforce say the reason is to care for kids. New Hampshire (23.8%) — the only other state above 20.0% — and Montana (17.5%) round out the top three.
- Parents who don’t have access to day care or another form of care are sacrificing time off and income for their kids. Among parents without child care arrangements, 35.2% report using paid time off to care for children, while 34.0% report cutting hours and 30.1% report taking unpaid time off. Additionally, 28.7% say they’ve supervised their kids while working and 20.7% say they’ve had to leave a job to care for children.
- More child care and household chores fall on women. Women with children younger than 6 spend an average of 2.59 hours a day caring for children, versus 1.47 among men. Additionally, women spend an average of 2.26 hours per day on household activities, versus 1.51 among men.
About 1 in 10 adults are out of work to care for kids
Americans are forgoing work to care for children. Just over 1 in 10 (10.7%) American adults who aren’t retired but aren’t working say they’re not because they care for kids not in school or day care. This comes as child care takes up nearly a fifth of families’ income, according to a 2024 LendingTree study.
There are some discrepancies in education. Among those whose highest degree is a bachelor’s, 16.4% of nonworking, nonretired Americans stay home to care for a kid — the highest among education levels. That compares with 10.8% of those with some high school education.
Why might those with higher education levels be more likely to stay at home with the kids? Generally speaking, people seek partners with the same education level they have — and Americans with higher education levels have higher median earnings and lower unemployment rates, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
26.6% of nonworking, nonretired adults in Utah care for kids
By state, those in Utah are the most likely to forgo working to care for kids. Here, a little over a quarter (26.6%) of nonretired adults out of the workforce say the reason is to take care of kids.
According to the Center for American Progress, 77% of Utah residents live in a child care desert — 26 percentage points above the U.S. average and the highest in the country. (A child care desert is a census tract with 50-plus kids younger than 5 without child care providers — or few options.)
As a result, the decision to stay home may be out of necessity. Women — who more often find themselves caring for children than men (more on that later) — not in the labor force in Utah far outnumber men who aren’t. In fact, according to 2018-22 data from the state Department of Workforce Services, 123,329 women ages 25 to 44 aren’t in the workforce, versus just 38,195 men of the same age.
Where nonretired adults are most likely to be out of work to take care of children
| Rank | State | # not working (but not retired) | # not working to care for children | % not working to care for children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | 350,537 | 93,072 | 26.6% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 140,979 | 33,595 | 23.8% |
| 3 | Montana | 138,703 | 24,324 | 17.5% |
Source: LendingTree analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, conducted April 30 to May 27, 2024.
New Hampshire follows at 23.8% — the only other state above 20.0%. Income likely plays a big role here. With an average family income of $128,164, parents may have more financial freedom to allow one to stay home to care for kids. The state is in a similar boat as Utah, with its residents spending the fourth-lowest percentage of their income on child care.
Montana (17.5%) rounds out the top three, but that’s where the comparisons end. In fact, the state’s residents spend the second-highest percentage of their income on child care. And 60% of Montana residents are in a child care desert — among the top 10 in the U.S. Here, parents are more likely to stay home out of necessity due to cost or access.
Full rankings
Where nonretired adults are most/least likely to be out of work to take care of children
| Rank | State | # not working (but not retired) | # not working to care for children | % not working to care for children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | 350,537 | 93,072 | 26.6% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 140,979 | 33,595 | 23.8% |
| 3 | Montana | 138,703 | 24,324 | 17.5% |
| 4 | Hawaii | 234,559 | 39,433 | 16.8% |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 569,477 | 92,966 | 16.3% |
| 6 | Virginia | 1,185,432 | 181,263 | 15.3% |
| 7 | North Dakota | 86,598 | 12,080 | 13.9% |
| 8 | Missouri | 793,478 | 109,560 | 13.8% |
| 9 | Oregon | 660,913 | 87,944 | 13.3% |
| 10 | Arizona | 1,237,307 | 163,177 | 13.2% |
| 10 | Texas | 4,921,061 | 651,918 | 13.2% |
| 12 | Nebraska | 209,042 | 27,030 | 12.9% |
| 13 | Minnesota | 499,062 | 62,340 | 12.5% |
| 14 | Arkansas | 463,205 | 57,155 | 12.3% |
| 14 | Nevada | 435,038 | 53,319 | 12.3% |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 1,832,582 | 224,551 | 12.3% |
| 17 | Alaska | 97,293 | 11,767 | 12.1% |
| 17 | Ohio | 1,363,860 | 165,127 | 12.1% |
| 19 | Michigan | 1,554,969 | 186,750 | 12.0% |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 673,631 | 76,609 | 11.4% |
| 21 | Washington | 1,062,118 | 118,813 | 11.2% |
| 22 | Kansas | 288,112 | 31,876 | 11.1% |
| 23 | Idaho | 219,008 | 24,147 | 11.0% |
| 24 | Connecticut | 489,526 | 52,608 | 10.7% |
| 25 | Alabama | 871,054 | 92,321 | 10.6% |
| 25 | Iowa | 316,099 | 33,420 | 10.6% |
| 27 | California | 6,678,525 | 697,932 | 10.5% |
| 28 | New York | 2,956,963 | 308,446 | 10.4% |
| 29 | Georgia | 1,593,515 | 162,861 | 10.2% |
| 30 | Colorado | 764,902 | 77,158 | 10.1% |
| 31 | Tennessee | 897,486 | 89,331 | 10.0% |
| 32 | North Carolina | 1,505,760 | 148,581 | 9.9% |
| 33 | South Dakota | 94,317 | 9,265 | 9.8% |
| 34 | Kentucky | 631,765 | 60,443 | 9.6% |
| 35 | Indiana | 1,027,848 | 93,228 | 9.1% |
| 35 | Maine | 179,527 | 16,258 | 9.1% |
| 37 | Florida | 3,731,289 | 326,635 | 8.8% |
| 37 | West Virginia | 274,534 | 24,173 | 8.8% |
| 39 | Wyoming | 77,636 | 6,647 | 8.6% |
| 40 | Delaware | 105,184 | 8,639 | 8.2% |
| 41 | New Mexico | 362,399 | 29,187 | 8.1% |
| 42 | Mississippi | 520,197 | 40,839 | 7.9% |
| 43 | Illinois | 1,452,887 | 113,564 | 7.8% |
| 44 | Louisiana | 746,933 | 54,825 | 7.3% |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 156,573 | 11,487 | 7.3% |
| 46 | Vermont | 61,563 | 4,227 | 6.9% |
| 47 | South Carolina | 812,636 | 51,731 | 6.4% |
| 48 | Massachusetts | 1,027,091 | 62,486 | 6.1% |
| 49 | Maryland | 874,171 | 44,940 | 5.1% |
| 50 | District of Columbia | 70,729 | 3,389 | 4.8% |
| 51 | New Jersey | 1,494,675 | 52,395 | 3.5% |
Source: LendingTree analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, conducted April 30 to May 27, 2024.
35.2% of parents without available care have used paid time off
Working parents make sacrifices for their kids — often at the expense of their jobs. Of those without day care or child care arrangements because of closure, unavailability, unaffordability or safety concerns, over a third (35.2%) have used paid time off to care for children. Meanwhile, 34.0% have cut hours and 30.1% have taken unpaid time off.
How working parents have cared for children when they didn’t have day care or child care arrangements
| Situation | % of working parents without access to day care or child care arrangements in this situation |
|---|---|
| Used vacation, sick days or other paid leave to care for children | 35.2% |
| Cut work hours to care for children | 34.0% |
| Took unpaid leave to care for children | 30.1% |
| Supervised one or more children while working | 28.7% |
| Left a job to care for children | 20.7% |
| Didn’t look for a job to care for children | 20.1% |
| Lost a job because of time away to care for children | 7.4% |
| Other | 9.8% |
Source: LendingTree analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, conducted April 30 to May 27, 2024.
In addition, 28.7% say they’ve supervised their kids while working, 20.7% have had to leave a job to care for children and 20.1% didn’t look for a job to care for children.
Women are responsible for the brunt of child care and household chores
Whether they’re working or not, child care and household chores typically fall on women.
Among those with children younger than 6, women spend an average of 2.59 hours a day caring for children, while men spend an average of 1.47 hours. Broadening that to those with children younger than 18, women spend 1.69 hours a day caring for them, while men spend 0.94.
Average hours parents spend per day caring for their children (by activity)
| Activity | Fathers, youngest child 6 to 12 | Mothers, youngest child 6 to 12 | Fathers, child younger than 6 | Mothers, child younger than 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total, caring for and helping household children | 0.72 | 1.26 | 1.47 | 2.59 |
| Physical care for household children | 0.20 | 0.40 | 0.56 | 1.27 |
| Reading to and with household children | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.11 |
| Playing with household children, not sports | 0.09 | 0.10 | 0.56 | 0.71 |
| Activities related to household children's education | 0.08 | 0.20 | 0.04 | 0.11 |
Source: LendingTree analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data.
When it comes to housework, women spend 2.26 hours per day on household activities, while men spend just 1.51 hours.
Child care and work: Top tips for striking a balance
Whether you’re out of work for your kid or relying on child care services, it can be costly (and difficult) to navigate child care. We recommend the following:
- Reach out for help. It takes a village to raise a child — and you should reach out to yours when you need support. Family and friends who can provide free child care can help significantly reduce costs.
- If you’re considering staying home, test-run your budget first. Try living on your partner’s income for a month to determine if your budget can handle it. In the meantime, use your income to boost your savings.
- Consider remote-friendly or part-time work. Quitting isn’t the only option. If you need a little more income to get by but need to stay home for the kids, see if you can transition to remote or part-time work instead.
Methodology
LendingTree researchers analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey.
Specifically, researchers estimated the number of adults who reported being out of work to care for children and compared that to the number of nonretired adults who reported their reason for being out of work. Additionally, we analyzed survey data on how people found time away from work to care for children.
Data comes from Phase 4.1, Cycle 5 of the survey, conducted from April 30 to May 27, 2024.
We also analyzed the average time parents spend per day caring for their children, via the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).