2025 Cost of Care Report: The true financial and emotional toll on families

For the first time in its 12-year history, the Care.com Cost of Care Report uncovers the true cost of care in the U.S. — a stressful, emotional burden that extends beyond the financial strain of child care costs we’ve long documented. The responses of 3,000 parents reveal the relentless juggling act and daily sacrifices of caring, not just for kids but for the whole household. In a time when the U.S. Surgeon General has declared the declining mental well-being of parents a national concern, this report paints a 360-degree view of the hidden challenges they navigate and the heavy toll of caregiving on their stress and mental load. Our most comprehensive report to date makes an urgent case for real systematic solutions to help families reclaim their time, joy and a sense of balance in their lives.

“The level of stress and mental load on parents today has reached unacceptable heights, spurring detrimental outcomes,” says Brad Wilson, CEO of Care.com. “We, as a society, cannot stand idly by while parents endure a daily depletion of their time, money and energy taking care of those who depend on them the most. As evidenced by our report, the need for support is more dire than ever. Without it, the well-being of not just parents, but children and seniors, too, is at risk.”

Caregiving isn’t just a line item in a family’s budget — it’s a daily sacrifice of time, energy and connection that parents can only manage with real support. That’s why Care.com is committed to supporting families by offering access to various care options in one place while continuously educating, innovating and advocating on their behalf. The resources below can help.

Key findings from the Care.com 2025 Cost of Care Report

New data on the cost of child care and beyond from the 12th annual Care.com 2025 Cost of Care Report reveals:

★  It’s not just the kids; parents take care of it all — and it takes a massive toll. Parents reveal they are responsible for the care of five loved ones, including children, aging parents and pets. Asked specifically about the stress outcomes of managing their caregiving responsibilities, 90% of parents report losing sleep, 80% report crying (for moms, this increases to 90%), 75% report feeling a sense of dread and 71% say they are experiencing health issues. A staggering 29% report they have considered suicide or self-harm.

★ Multiple root causes drive this stress. Parents point to several core causes and structural barriers that make care so difficult to manage, especially when accounting for the entire household. Key factors include:  

• Exorbitant costs: The average parent spends 40% of their household income on care costs — spending 22% on child care alone. 
• Exhausting care searches: Parents report having to find new care solutions for reasons like schedule changes [31%], budget changes [26%] and needing one-time help [18%], and more than half (52%) say it takes two months or more to find the right care solution. 
• Significant personal sacrifices: The typical parent has just 3 hours a day to themselves (moms specifically report only having 2 hours), and parents miss out on 34 important life commitments per year, on average, due to challenges of finding care. 

★ Parents want solutions. Parents are not OK, and they’re calling for real solutions now. The majority look to the government for support, with 87% of parents rating expanded tax credits for care expenses as helpful. Beyond policy initiatives, 79% also see a role for employers to reduce these burdens through subsidized caregiving benefits. 

Parents report stress, burnout and emotional overwhelm 

The average parent manages the care of five loved ones, including kids, older loved ones and family pets, and juggles five different care arrangements, from babysitters and daycare to relatives, yet nearly half (48%) say they still don’t have enough help. Add in time spent doing paid, often full-time work and energy managing even the most basic day-to-day household tasks, and a clearer, largely unsustainable reality filled with genuine stressors comes into focus. 

Parents cite an alarming amount of stress and staggering emotional load due solely to the challenges of finding, managing and affording care. In 2024, the U.S. Surgeon General released a national advisory highlighting the declining mental well-being of parents. The results of the 2025 Cost of Care Report reveal similarly disturbing evidence of an untenable state of emergency for today’s parents. 

Due to this caregiving stress, parents say they:

• 90% – Lost sleep.
• 90% – Felt burnt out.
• 85% – Sacrificed other goals in life.
• 80% – Cried due to stress.
• 78% – Felt isolated/alone.
• 75% – Felt a sense of dread.
• 73% – Experienced tension in their relationship or marriage.
• 73% – Lashed out at loved ones.
• 71% – Experienced health issues.
• 67% – Felt guilty about outsourcing care.
• 42% – Discussed caregiving challenges with a therapist.
• 29% – Considered suicide or self-harm.

Caring for a family is an unrelenting mix of financial strain, stress and personal sacrifice

The long list of stressors is truly eye-opening; however, it’s equally important to narrow in on the root causes behind the care-related pressures pushing parents to the brink. The key factors parents reveal include the cost of care, as well as exhausting care searches and significant personal sacrifices.

The price of caregiving is steep

Caregiving responsibilities trail only to financial-related challenges as the most common source of stress in parents’ lives. According to the report, the average parent spends 40% of their household income on care costs — 22% on child care, as well as 18% on the care of older loved ones, pets and the home. Put in dollar terms, the typical parent (57%) paid at least $9,600 on child care costs in 2024, and when you add in all care expenses, that number increased to $14,400. 

In order to afford these care expenses, 33% of parents say they tapped into their savings with the average parent depleting one third (29%) of their savings on child care alone. Almost all respondents (89%) — or their partner/spouse — had to make at least one major change to their work, life or finances to afford care last year.

Here’s a breakdown of these noteworthy changes parents made: 

• 40% – Reduced spending on entertainment and leisure activities.
• 37% – Relied on friends or family to help with child care.
• 33% – Dipped into savings.
• 32% – Delayed major purchases.
• 24% – Took on multiple jobs.
• 22% – Chose a less expensive care option.
• 21% – Applied for government assistance.
• 20% – Went into debt.
• 15% – Reduced hours at work.
• 15% – Juggled remote work without paid child care.
• 14% – Moved closer to family.
• 13% – Changed jobs.
• 9% – Deferred paying student loans.
• 8% – Moved to a different home.
• 7% – Left the workforce.
• 6% – Quit education/studies.
• 5% – Set up a nanny share.

Here are the average posted weekly costs of child care, senior care, pet care and housekeeping:

Child care rates per week

	One infant	One toddler	Two children
Nanny	$827	$858	$911
Daycare	$343	$315	$598
Family care center	$344	$319	$606

	One child	Two children
After-school sitter	$316	$332
Babysitter	$167	$178

Senior care, pet care and housekeeping rates per week

Senior care	$762
Pet care	$ 142
Housekeeping	$171

Maintaining family care arrangements is endless and exhausting

Finding care for multiple loved ones — five different care arrangements on average — is rarely a one-time task when you factor in the frequent and unpredictable interruptions. Parents say the common disruptions to their care arrangements include: 

• 31% – Schedule changes. 
• 26% – Budget changes. 
• 18% – One-time care needs. 

Whether finding a babysitter, touring daycares or interviewing senior caregivers, finding care is time-consuming, with more than half of parents (52%) reporting it taking two months or more to find the right care option. 

• 57% say they’ve waited on a daycare waitlist, and of those who waited, 55% faced a delay of four months or longer. 
• 52% report being “Very” to “Extremely” stressed when they need to find a new caregiving solution.

Sacrificing self-care, relationships and cherished moments is the norm 

With numerous work and household responsibilities, the typical parent says they have just 3 hours a day to themselves (moms specifically report only having 2 hours). The work of managing care also takes a toll on their personal relationships, with 52% missing out on time spent with friends, and 46% on time spent with their significant other. 

On average, parents say they miss out on 34 important life commitments per year due to challenges of finding care. These missed moments include: 

• 52% – Time spent with friends.
• 46% – Hobbies and activities they enjoy.
• 46% – Time spent with significant other. 
• 37% – Travel plans. 
• 34% – Work events/obligations.
• 34% – Birthday parties
• 33% – Holiday parties.
• 21% – Weddings. 
• 19% – An important game.
• 15% – Baby shower.
• 14% – Funerals.
• 12% – A religious obligation. 

Families are demanding change and support

The true and overwhelming cost of caregiving is pushing parents to their limits both financially and emotionally. Last year, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy set off an urgent call for the country to better support families, “I am hopeful this Surgeon General’s Advisory will help catalyze and support the changes we need to ensure all parents and caregivers can thrive.” 

Not surprisingly, when asked about solutions, parents reinforced this message. Nearly 3/4 (73%) of parents identified having a better caregiving network as a way to improve their mental and emotional health, on par with a better economy (73%) and trailing only behind making more money (78%). Through their personal responses in the Care.com 2025 Cost of Care Report, here’s precisely where parents say they want support. 

Policy and employer solutions

Parents are looking to government initiatives to address child care affordability, as well as employer programs that support caregiving employees. Here’s where the majority of parents weighed in:

• 87% – Expanded tax credits for care expenses.
• 79% – Employer-subsidized caregiving benefits.

These initiatives, if actioned upon, provide families the dual benefit of easing financial strain and addressing caregiving challenges — two of the biggest stressors in parents’ lives.

Technology plays a critical role 

Most parents expect innovation and technology to rise to the occasion and offer solutions that ease the stress and burden in their lives. Here are the tech solutions parents want:

• 88% – Ability to find one person to fulfill multiple care needs, such as a nanny who also does some housekeeping.
• 86% – Single platform for finding multiple types of care (child care, senior care, adult care, pet care and housekeeping) — an improvement over the average of 3 different platforms they currently juggle to find care.
• More guided support in the care search process. Senior care is an area of particular need — 73% of those searching for senior care rate a senior care advisor service as helpful.

An important caveat: Caregivers need to be paid fairly

Despite the hefty price tag for care, parents also made it clear that they do not expect affordable caregiving to come at the expense of caregivers’ livelihoods. In fact, 61% of parents say caregivers deserve to be paid more — indicating a need for a broader systemic solution that can benefit both paying families and hired caregivers. 

Resources from Care.com

For families

• Don’t miss our new Toolkit for Families for helpful information on how to reduce the stress and cost of care — including ways in which Care.com can help, information on tax credits and subsidies and tips on how to advocate for financial support with employers and lawmakers. >> Download the free toolkit

• Need care now? Find background-checked child care, senior care, adult care, pet care and housekeeping all in one place. >> Join Care.com now

For caregivers

• Check out the new Toolkit for Professional Caregivers for tips to help caregivers advocate and care for themselves while they provide highly desired and meaningful care for families.  >> Download the toolkit now

2025 Cost of Care Report methodology

This sample of 3,000 U.S. adults was surveyed between November 11, 2024, and November 20, 2024. All respondents are parents of children 14 years or younger and currently pay for professional child care, confirmed by both consumer-matched data and self-confirmation. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web. The survey valid completion rate was 75%. No post-stratification has been applied to the results.

Previous Care.com Cost of Care reports

• 2024 Cost of Care Report
• 2023 Cost of Care Report
• 2022 Cost of Care Survey
• 2021 Cost of Care Survey