Washington, D.C. — Today, the Center for American Progress released a report illuminating the landscape of U.S. licensed child care providers as of 2025.
CAP first published its original, unprecedented nationwide analysis of child care deserts in 2018, finding at the time that 51 percent of Americans—a majority—lived in an area characterized by extremely low supply of licensed care. As of 2025, CAP’s updated findings reveal that an estimated 46 percent of children under age 6 still live in a child care desert—suggesting marginal improvement in post-pandemic licensed supply over a nearly 10-year period. Those improvements are unequal, however, with remote rural communities facing the most dire shortages.
This new report is accompanied by an interactive map visualizing the availability of licensed care across the country. The report includes a breakdown of state-by-state data, including by degree of scarcity. Within the interactive resource, data can be compared demographically by poverty level, median household income, and race and ethnicity for predominantly Hispanic/Latino and Black, non-Hispanic communities.
Other key findings include:
- Head Start deserts are nearly universal. Approximately 99.7 percent of qualifying children from low-income families in urban areas lived in a Head Start desert in 2025, with qualifying children in rural areas slightly better off at nearly 97 percent. Significant disparities by geography suggest systemic issues with access between rural and urban Head Start-eligible families.
- Washington, D.C.; Massachusetts; New Jersey; and Nebraska are the four areas with the lowest percentages of children living in a licensed child care desert, respectively.
- Alaska, Hawaii, and Idaho are the three states with the highest percentages of children living in a licensed child care desert.
- Deserts affect nearly half of all children living in poverty. And though families across the income spectrum report difficulty accessing care for their children, nearly one-quarter of low-income families report not being able to access a program at all, compared with 5 percent of high-income households.
- Rural communities are the most affected. In 2018, an estimated two-thirds of rural families lived in a child care desert. In 2025, the most remote areas faced the greatest rural penalty, with more than 70 percent of young children in a licensed child care desert.
“The cost burden of child care is widely talked about, but two equally urgent, interrelated crises receive much less attention: a persistent shortage of licensed care and an overextended, chronically underpaid workforce,” said Hailey Gibbs, associate director of Early Childhood Policy at CAP and co-author of the report. “Early educators do some of the most consequential work in our society, but public investment has never reflected that value. State and federal lawmakers have both the power and the responsibility to close the gap. Continued inaction is a choice, and it is one families and children cannot afford.”
“Child care deserts aren’t just gaps on a map—they represent real burdens on families and children who deserve a strong start,” said Casey Peeks, senior director of Early Childhood Policy at CAP and co-author of the report. “To solve this crisis, we must simultaneously bring down costs for families while expanding access to quality options that support children’s growth and development.”
Explore the map: “Map of America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts”
Read the report: “America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts” by Hailey Gibbs and Casey Peeks
Read the executive summary: “Executive Summary: America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts” by Hailey Gibbs and Casey Peeks
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Mishka Espey at [email protected].