A study by LendingTree has found that parents of two young children would need an income increase of roughly $257,000 to meet the federal government's definition of affordable child care. The study found that the average household with two children earns $145,656 per year, falling roughly 176.5% below the income level required to meet this affordability standard. The cost of child care for an infant and a 4-year-old totals $28,190 across the nation. The Department of Health and Human Services defines child care as affordable only when it takes up no more than 7% of your household income. To stay within this 7% mark, a household would need to bring in $402,708 every single year without exception. The implications for retirement savings, debt repayment, and long-term financial security are significant. The findings also reveal that the wealth gap between white and Black households has widened by $49,950 between 2019 and 2022, reaching a total difference of approximately $240,120 in wealth.