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The availability of child care services in nonmetropolitan areas is becoming an increasingly important issue because of the rising rates of labor force participation among rural women. While recent studies have shown a greater reliance on relatives for care versus day care centers in rural than in urban areas, reasons for the differences have not been fully explored. What variations in the types of child care exist and how they are related to women's wage rates are examined using data from the National Longitudinal Survey Merged Child/Mother File (sample = 1,163 children aged 3-5 born to a cohort of mothers aged 15-21 in 1979). Multinomial logistic analysis is used to estimate the effects of residence, household, and individual characteristics on type of care. The results have implications for women's employment and the availability of center care for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. [Sociological Abstracts, Inc.]