As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, Fargo ranks the 213th largest city in the nation.

Cass County runs 7.6 licensed childcare establishments per 1,000 kids under five — nearly double the national density — and offers 62 licensed slots for every 100 working-parent kids, among the strongest ratios in the entire 250-city dataset. North Dakota carries the smallest statewide supply gap of any state in the cluster at 24%, and the state ranks first nationally on the broader index. Fargo, the only North Dakota city in the 2026 score, is the city-level expression of that strength, except on policy: a 64/100 composite, ranked 26 of 250, lifted by near-perfect supply (98) and workforce (98) scores against a policy score of 18. The state enrolls just 9% of four-year-olds in funded pre-K and reaches only 14.1% of eligible kids through CCDF. A strong childcare market and a strong policy regime are two different things.

Key highlights & actionable takeaways

Score 64/100, Moderate, ranked 26 of 250 — the only North Dakota city scored, top of the Midwest 3 cohort.
Cass County offers 62 licensed slots per 100 working-parent kids under five; supply score 98, workforce score 98.
Represents the #1-ranked state nationally; policy score 18 — pre-K access just 9%, CCDF reach 14.1%.

Actionable takeaways

Don't read North Dakota's #1 state ranking as a policy story. The state enrolls just 9% of four-year-olds in pre-K and CCDF reaches only 14.1% of eligible kids. Fargo's strength is demographic and market-driven — Cass County density at 7.6 per 1,000 kids is what's holding the line, not state investment.
Watch retention pressure if Fargo housing accelerates. The 98 workforce score rests on $916/month rent — the lowest in the cohort — making the wage-to-living-wage ratio look strong on a $14.65 wage. Any rent shock would visibly move both workforce and supply.
The structural driver is the only-North-Dakota-city status. With Bismarck and Grand Forks unscored, Fargo carries the entire ND narrative. Reporters should be careful not to extrapolate Cass County's exceptional supply ratio to the rest of the state.

Affordability — 34/100

A typical Fargo family pays $13,867 a year for one infant in a licensed Cass County center — about $1,155 a month, or 21% of the area's $66,029 median household income. The burden ratio sits within a hair of the national 22% benchmark and meaningfully below the Twin Cities figures. Family child care homes price at $9,954 for an infant, providing a real alternative for cost-sensitive households. The childcare-to-rent ratio is 1.26 — care costs 26% more than rent each month. For a Fargo family with two children in licensed centers, the annual outlay is about $27,100. On Fargo's income base that translates to roughly 41% of pre-tax household earnings, still tight but more manageable than in higher-cost peer markets.

Supply — 98/100

Cass County offers an estimated 62 licensed slots for every 100 children under five with working parents — among the strongest ratios in the entire 250-city dataset and within striking distance of the national benchmark of 73. The county has 93 licensed establishments, or 7.6 per 1,000 children under five — nearly double the national density. The supply score of 98 is what carries Fargo into the top 30 nationally: this is one of the few US cities where center capacity comes meaningfully close to matching demand. North Dakota statewide has a 24% supply gap per Bipartisan Policy Center estimates — the smallest gap of any state in this cohort.

Workforce — 98/100

The median Fargo childcare worker earns $14.65 an hour, or $30,470 a year, covering 74.8% of the local single-adult living wage of $19.59. That wage-to-cost-of-living ratio is the strongest in the cohort, and it is the result not of high absolute wages but of Fargo's comparatively low cost of living: rent here ($916/month) is the lowest in the cohort. The workforce score of 98 reflects that retention pressure on Fargo centers is structurally lower than in higher-cost markets, which in turn helps explain the city's strong supply score. Wage parity with local living costs is the closest this cohort comes to economic sustainability for early educators.

Family strain — 77/100

Mothers' labor force participation for those with kids under six is 74.9% — well above the national rate of 68% and consistent with the broader North Dakota economic pattern. The single-parent share is 31.85%, almost exactly matching the national average. The combination — high LFP, near-average single-parent share — describes a city where two-earner married households are the dominant family structure and where childcare demand is structural and predictable rather than volatile. The strain score of 77 is the highest dimension performance after supply and workforce.

Policy support — 18/100

North Dakota enrolls about 9% of four-year-olds in state-funded pre-K and meets 5 of 10 NIEER quality benchmarks. The state's CCDF subsidy reaches just 14.1% of eligible children — among the lowest reach figures in the Midwest. North Dakota offers no state paid family or medical leave. The policy score of 18 is the binding drag on Fargo's overall ranking: the city's market-driven outcomes (supply, workforce) are exceptional, but state-level policy investment is well below the national norm. Policy is measured at the state level. The pattern is a useful reminder that a strong childcare market and a strong childcare policy regime are two different things — Fargo has the former, not the latter.

In-home care in Fargo

In-home care in Fargo reflects metro-wide nanny market patterns broadly in line with smaller Upper Midwest markets, where licensed center supply is comparatively strong and the in-home caregiver pool is thinner than in major metros. Most families pursuing in-home care here are dual-professional households or those with three or more young children, where the math against multiple center tuitions begins to favor a single nanny. Au pair placements are uncommon in markets this size. The strong center supply means most Fargo families do not need to consider in-home care purely to secure access — a contrast with most cities in this cohort.

Methodology: The the score is a 0-100 composite score across five dimensions: Affordability (30 pts), Supply (25 pts), Workforce Health (15 pts), Family Strain (15 pts), and Policy Support (15 pts). City-level prices and supply use the city's primary containing county. Policy Support is measured at the state level. Full methodology and data sources: beverly.io/research/methodology.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates; U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS (May 2024) and QCEW; Buffett Early Childhood Institute / Bipartisan Policy Center / Child Care Aware childcaregap.org (Sept 2025); NIEER State of Preschool Yearbook 2024; HHS ACF CCDF FY2023; National Partnership for Women & Families (March 2026).

Methodology. The State of Childcare Index is a 0-100 composite score across five dimensions: Affordability (30 pts), Supply (25 pts), Workforce Health (15 pts), Family Strain (15 pts), and Policy Support (15 pts). Each dimension draws on publicly available federal data: U.S. Census ACS (5-year), DOL Women's Bureau NDCP, BLS OEWS and QCEW, the Buffett/BPC/CCAoA childcaregap.org dataset, NIEER State of Preschool, and HHS ACF CCDF reports. City-level prices and supply use the city's primary containing county. Policy Support is measured at the state level. Full methodology and data sources: /research/methodology.