As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, Portland ranks the 27th largest city in the nation.

Multnomah County logs 11.97 licensed childcare establishments per 1,000 children under five — nearly three times the national density of 4.21, and the structural supply outlier among large US cities. The pattern reflects a long-running state policy environment that has favored small operators and family childcare homes, and Oregon's statewide gap between potential demand and licensed supply runs 34.9%, well below the national figure. Even so, infant center care in Multnomah County now runs $23,405 a year, eating 26.4% of Portland's $88,792 median household income — the heaviest burden in the Pacific Northwest cohort. Three-quarters of Portland mothers with kids under six are in the labor force, the highest reading in the cohort. Portland ranks 115th of 250.

Key highlights & actionable takeaways

115th nationally, score 52 (Moderate) — held back by the heaviest infant-care burden in the Pacific Northwest at 26.4% of income.
Multnomah County hosts 11.97 licensed providers per 1,000 children under five — nearly 3x the national density; the supply outlier among large US cities.
75.1% of mothers with kids under six in the labor force — highest in the Pacific cohort and seven points above Oregon's state average.

Actionable takeaways

Portland is the structural supply outlier among large US cities. At 11.97 establishments per 1,000 kids under five — nearly 3x the national density — no other top-50-by-population metro comes close. The pattern reflects a long-running Oregon policy environment that has favored small operators and family childcare homes.
The center-vs-FCC price spread is unusually deep. Center care runs $23,405 a year while family-childcare-home rates drop to $11,193 — more than $12,000 apart. That spread is why FCC homes carry a heavier share of Portland's formal market than in most West Coast metros, and a useful reporting angle on small-operator policy.
The affordability burden is the heaviest in the Pacific Northwest. At 26.4% of household income, Portland sits above Seattle and Bellevue despite cheaper prices — a function of incomes that haven't scaled with the metro's cost of living.

Affordability — 18/100

A year of infant center care in Multnomah County runs $23,405 — about $6,240 above the $17,163 national figure and roughly $5,820 above the Oregon state average of $17,587. Against Portland's $88,792 median household income, that single tuition bill consumes 26.4% of pre-tax pay — the heaviest burden in the Pacific Northwest cohort and well above the 21.9% national figure.

Toddler and preschool center care both run $22,861, with family-childcare-home rates dropping sharply to $11,193 — one of the widest center-vs-FCC spreads in the country. Childcare to rent runs 1.22, well above the 1.06 national figure. For a Portland family with one infant in full-time center care, the math comes to roughly $1,950 a month in tuition against a $1,596 median rent — childcare runs about $354 more than shelter every month. The unusually deep FCC discount explains why family-childcare homes carry a heavier share of Portland's formal market than in most West Coast metros.

Supply — 73/100

Multnomah County logs roughly 19,055 licensed slots against 46,987 kids under five with working parents — 41 slots per 100 such kids, the strongest reading in the Pacific cohort and outside childcare-desert territory. The standout figure is provider density: 11.97 licensed establishments per 1,000 children under five, nearly triple the national average of 4.21 and roughly 50% above Oregon's strong statewide baseline of 8.09. Portland is the supply outlier among large US cities — nowhere else in the top-50-by-population set comes close to this provider concentration. The pattern reflects a long-running state policy environment that has favored small operators and family childcare homes; statewide, Oregon's gap between potential demand and licensed supply runs 34.9% per the Bipartisan Policy Center, well below the national gap.

Workforce — 69/100

The median Multnomah County childcare worker earns $18.05 an hour — about $37,540 a year — equal to 64.1% of the local single-adult living wage of $28.17. That ratio sits about 1.5 points above the 62.6% national figure and roughly 2 points below Oregon's statewide reading of 65.9%. Roughly 2,570 OEWS-counted workers staff the metro's licensed centers and homes. The wage looks competitive in absolute terms but loses ground against Portland's broader service-sector pay floors, where adjacent retail, healthcare-aide, and food-service roles routinely start at $18-22/hr with simpler workload — driving turnover that keeps infant-room waitlists long despite the metro's strong establishment density.

Family strain — 76/100

Mothers of kids under six work outside the home at a 75.1% rate in Portland — the highest reading in the Pacific cohort and seven points above Oregon's state average of 67.5%. Single-parent share comes in at 32.1%, almost exactly the 31.8% US figure. The high LFP reading reflects a city where two-earner professional households are the norm, and the city's strong supply position (the deepest in the cohort) supports that pattern by giving working mothers more options than in supply-constrained metros. Children under five number 27,492 in the city, with 71.7% in households where every parent works.

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 — among the most progressive replacement structures in the country. Policy is measured at the state level; every Oregon city in this index inherits the same 42.5 score.

In-home care in Portland

In-home care in Portland tracks the broader Oregon market, with full-time live-out nanny rates typically running in the upper West Coast band, though materially below Bay Area and Seattle Eastside levels. Nanny shares between two families have a long history in Portland's east-side and Sellwood-area family neighborhoods as a workaround for the spread between center prices and single-family nanny rates. Family childcare homes carry a heavier share of the formal market here than in any other Pacific Northwest metro. Au pair placements appear in dual-career households needing live-in coverage for nonstandard tech and healthcare schedules.

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.