US families spend 52% of income on housing and childcare

A report from real estate platform Redfin and childcare marketplace Winnie reveals that the typical working family in the United States spends 52 percent of its annual income on housing and childcare combined.

Geographic location significantly impacts these expenses. Among the 100 most populous U.S. metros, Little Rock, Arkansas, is the most affordable, with families spending less than 40 percent of their income on these costs. Other affordable metros include Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Des Moines, Iowa.

In contrast, Los Angeles reported the highest costs, with families spending 96.8 percent of their median annual income on housing and childcare. New York City and San Francisco also rank among the least affordable, with costs exceeding 94 percent of median income.

Sara Mauskopf, co-founder and CEO of Winnie, advised families to consider both childcare availability and costs when deciding where to live, noting that scarcity or high prices can make an otherwise affordable area impractical.