Sara Mauskopf
Sara Mauskopf is the co-founder and CEO of Winnie. She’s also the mom of three young children and vocal advocate for high quality child care and early education for all.
For families with young children, choosing where to live isn't just a housing decision. It's a childcare decision too.
That's why Winnie is partnering with Redfin, the country's most-visited real estate brokerage website, to bring childcare information directly into the home search experience. Families browsing home listings on Redfin can now see nearby childcare options, helping them understand not just what a home offers, but what life with young children might look like in that community.
The partnership comes alongside a new analysis using Winnie childcare data and Redfin housing data that shows just how closely these two expenses are connected: housing and childcare together consume 52% of the median household income nationwide.
In some of the country's largest metropolitan areas, the combined cost approaches an entire household income.
The True Cost of Living Somewhere
When families compare places to live, housing costs tend to get most of the attention. But for families with children under five, childcare can rival a mortgage or rent payment.
In Los Angeles, for example, the typical annual cost of housing and childcare totals approximately $94,613—96.8% of the area's median household income.
New York follows at 95%, with San Francisco at 94.2% and Anaheim at 93.5%. Six of the 10 metropolitan areas where housing and childcare consume the largest share of income are in California.
High salaries don't necessarily solve the problem either. Higher-income metros like San Francisco and San Jose may offer bigger paychecks, but those gains can quickly be absorbed by expensive housing and childcare.
Childcare Can Completely Change the Affordability Equation
Housing and childcare costs don't always move together. A city with relatively affordable homes may still be difficult for a family with young children if childcare is unusually expensive.
In Springfield, Massachusetts, for example, working families spend roughly 32% of median household income on childcare alone, the highest share among the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas analyzed. Springfield has some of the most expensive childcare in the country despite household incomes that fall in the bottom quartile.
It’s followed by Bakersfield, California (29.8%), Fresno, California (28.2%), New York (27.3%) and Buffalo, New York (26.1%).
That means looking at home prices alone can give families an incomplete picture of how affordable a community will actually be.
Bringing Childcare Search Into the Home Search
Historically, families searching for a home and families searching for childcare have had to make those decisions separately even though the two are deeply connected.
Now families can consider them together.
Winnie maintains comprehensive information about childcare programs across the United States, including tuition, schedules, licensing information, program details and availability. Through our new partnership with Redfin, families can access childcare information while they’re already thinking about where they want to live.
It's especially important because housing and childcare don't just represent two of the biggest needs for families—they affect one another. Housing costs can make having two working parents essential. Childcare is often what makes it possible for both parents, or a single parent, to remain in the workforce.
Read the complete Redfin report: Housing and Childcare Consume More Than Half of the Typical U.S. Family’s Income–But Costs Vary Widely by Metro.
