Massachusetts has some of the highest child care costs in the country

BOSTON -- New data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows Massachusetts is one of the highest-paying states in the country for child care. 

Parents spend between $16,000 and $26,000 dollars a year -- that's about 20% of family budgets. 

Massachusetts had four counties in the top 20 list of most expensive places for infant care:

• Norfolk County: $26,409
• Middlesex County: $26,409
  
• Suffolk County: $23,166
• Essex County: $23,108

Middlesex and Norfolk County were ranked third and fourth in the entire country. 

Arlington County in Virginia was the most expensive followed by San Francisco County in California.