As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, Eugene ranks the 150th largest city in the nation.

In Eugene, the home of the University of Oregon, infant center care runs about $1,160 above the national figure and $740 above the Oregon state average — a moderate price by West Coast standards, but anchored to a local median household income that runs $25,000 below Portland's and $16,500 below the state average. The result is a 28.7% income burden, the heaviest reading in the Pacific Northwest cohort. Lane County's licensed-establishment density of 8.34 per 1,000 children under five sits among the strongest nationally, but supply concentrates in preschool rooms, not infant ones. Mothers' labor-force participation runs 70.5%, well above the national and state figures. Eugene ranks 147th of 250, last among Oregon's three measured cities.

Key highlights & actionable takeaways

147th nationally, score 48 (Strained) — last among Oregon's three measured cities; University of Oregon college town.
Infant care consumes 28.7% of household income — the heaviest burden in the Pacific Northwest cohort, driven by income, not price.
70.5% mothers' labor-force participation — well above national 68.2% and Oregon's 67.5% — even as 38.3% of families with kids are headed by a single parent.

Actionable takeaways

Eugene's burden is income-driven, not price-driven. Lane County infant care runs only $1,160 above the national figure, but the city's $63,836 median household income is roughly $25,000 below Portland's — turning a near-state-average price into the cohort's heaviest 28.7% income burden.
The center-to-FCC price spread exceeds $8,700. Center care runs $18,327; family-childcare-home rates drop to $9,603. That gap is why FCC carries a heavier share of Lane County's formal market than in many comparable metros — a real local-policy story.
University of Oregon graduate-student and faculty households are the binding case. With 70.5% mothers' LFP and 38.3% single-parent share, dual-academic and single-postdoc households are absorbing the worst of the affordability spread. UO benefits offices and graduate housing can confirm.

Affordability — 16/100

A year of infant center care in Lane County runs $18,327 — about $1,160 above the $17,163 national figure and roughly $740 above the Oregon state average of $17,587. Eugene's prices look comparable to other West Coast mid-size cities. The problem is income: the city's $63,836 median household income is roughly $25,000 below Portland's and $16,500 below the state average. That gap turns a near-state-average price into a 28.7% income burden — the heaviest reading in the Pacific Northwest cohort.

Toddler and preschool center care both run $17,729, with family-childcare-home rates dropping to $9,603. Childcare to rent runs 1.13, modestly above the 1.06 national figure. For a Eugene family with one infant in full-time center care, the math comes to roughly $1,527 a month in tuition against a $1,347 median rent — childcare costs about $180 more than shelter every month. The unusually wide center-vs-FCC spread (more than $8,700) explains why family-childcare homes carry a heavier share of Eugene's formal market than in many comparable metros.

Supply — 73/100

Lane County logs an estimated 8,234 licensed slots against 20,304 kids under five with working parents — 41 slots per 100 such kids, identical to Portland and Salem readings and outside childcare-desert territory. The county counts 139 licensed establishments, or 8.34 sites per 1,000 children under five, well above the national density (4.21) and slightly above Oregon's strong statewide baseline (8.09). The supply picture in Eugene tracks Oregon's overall pattern: provider density is genuinely strong, capacity gaps concentrate in infant rooms, and the statewide gap between potential demand and licensed supply runs 34.9% per the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Workforce — 73/100

The median Lane County childcare worker earns $16.44 an hour — about $34,200 a year — equal to 65.0% of the local single-adult living wage of $25.31. That ratio sits roughly 2.4 points above the 62.6% national figure and almost exactly at Oregon's statewide reading of 65.9%. Roughly 330 OEWS-counted workers staff the metro's licensed centers and homes. The wage looks reasonable in absolute terms but loses ground against University of Oregon-adjacent service-sector employers, where adjacent retail and food-service roles routinely start at $16-18/hr with simpler workload — driving the same retention pressure that affects centers across Oregon.

Family strain — 52/100

Mothers of kids under six work outside the home at a 70.5% rate in Eugene — well above the 68.2% national figure and three points above Oregon's state average of 67.5%. Single-parent share runs 38.3%, well above the 31.8% US figure. Combined with the affordability picture, the reading describes a city where most mothers of young children are working, more than a third of those households are managed by a single parent, and the childcare bill consumes a punishing share of available pay relative to peer Pacific cities.

Policy support — 43/100

Oregon enrolls 17% of 4-year-olds and 12% of 3-year-olds in state pre-K, spending $18,637 per enrolled child — among the highest per-child spending figures in the country — and meeting 7.6 of NIEER's 10 quality benchmarks. The state CCDF subsidy reaches 14.9% of eligible families and serves about 16,500 children a month. Oregon's Paid Family and Medical Leave program, in effect since 2023, offers up to 12 weeks at 100% wage replacement for low-wage workers. Policy is measured at the state level; every Oregon city in this index inherits the same 42.5 score.

In-home care in Eugene

In-home care in Eugene tracks the broader Willamette Valley nanny market, with full-time live-out rates running below Portland-metro bands. Family childcare homes carry a meaningful share of formal capacity in Lane County, consistent with Oregon's small-operator-friendly policy environment and the wide center-vs-FCC price spread. Nanny shares between two families have grown as a workaround for households priced out of single-family nanny rates, and the au pair channel sees modest use among University of Oregon-affiliated dual-career households needing live-in coverage.

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.