What does childcare really cost in your county?
Center-based infant care averages $9,592 a year nationwide, about 15.2% of a typical family's income. Look up real prices by age and care type for any of 2,662 priced U.S. counties.
Cheapest to priciest county
A 6.7× gap between the cheapest and priciest county in America.
The national picture
Across 2,662 U.S. counties, center-based infant care averages $9,592 a year - 15.2% of the typical family's income, more than double the 7% the federal government calls affordable. Prices swing from $4,704 in Wayne County, KY to $31,544 in San Francisco County, CA, a 6.7× gap between the cheapest and priciest county in America.
- Avg infant care
- $9,592/yr
- Share of income
- 15.2%
- Cheapest county
- $4,704
- Priciest county
- $31,544
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices (2022, latest release). Affordability benchmark: U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (7% of family income).
- 3,224
- Counties
- 45
- States
- $9,592
- Avg Infant (Center)
- $8,087
- Avg Preschool (Center)
National center-based childcare costs by age (US average)
Annual per-child average across all reporting counties. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices.
Average center-based infant care rose 38% in nominal dollars, from $6,940 in 2008 to $9,593 in 2022. Source: DOL National Database of Childcare Prices.
Where each state lands: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y). Color = this state's care cost as a share of income, split into thirds nationally.
How to read this
Each dot is a state (the 30 with the most counties in this dataset). Position shows income vs. cost; color shows the burden that combination creates.
- Care costs the smallest share of income
- A middling share of income
- The largest share of income
Browse by State
Learn & Explore
Go beyond the data with our in-depth guides on childcare costs, tax credits, and finding affordable care.
Childcare Tax Credits Guide
Learn how to claim the Child and Dependent Care Credit and reduce your childcare costs at tax time.
Lowest State Averages for Infant Care in 2022
Compare historical 2022 county-weighted infant-care estimates across the 45 jurisdictions with published state aggregates.
Childcare Subsidy Programs Explained
A complete overview of CCDF subsidies, Head Start, and state assistance programs that can lower your costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does PlainChildcare get its childcare cost data?
All data comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices, which tracks childcare costs by county, age group, and care type across the entire United States.
What does the affordability desert indicator mean?
A county is flagged as a childcare affordability desert when center-based infant care exceeds 20% of median family income, nearly 3× the 7% the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers affordable. These are the counties where childcare costs are most severe relative to local incomes.
Is PlainChildcare free?
Yes, PlainChildcare is completely free. You can look up childcare costs for any of the 2,662 U.S. counties (of 3,224 total) with reported pricing data in the underlying survey, without any account or subscription.
How often is the childcare cost data updated?
The Department of Labor updates the National Database of Childcare Prices periodically. We update our data when new releases become available, typically reflecting costs from the most recent survey year.
Come back when NDCP updates
Save counties to re-check later
The DOL National Database of Childcare Prices publishes on an irregular consolidated schedule, not a fixed annual clock. The County Watchlist stores your list in the browser, tracks when you last looked, and nudges a re-check after about six months, no account and no email alerts.
- •NDCP survey year on this build: 2022 (vintage 2026-07-05).
- •Next consolidated DOL release: monitor the Women's Bureau NDCP page - no fixed calendar.
- •Use the affordability calculator for one-off checks; save counties you revisit.
Clear anytime via browser storage settings. We never receive your list.
About this data
How PlainChildcare works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainChildcare is a plain-language reference for U.S. childcare costs by county. Every price figure comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP), covering 3,224 counties, with median household income from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey added for affordability context.
Editorial process
- Source. Pull the latest published release of the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices, plus Census ACS median household income by county.
- Verify. Match each county record to its FIPS code and cross-check reported price and income figures for consistency before loading.
- Publish. Build per-county and per-state pages showing infant, toddler and preschool care costs alongside local income, unmodified from the source survey.
Editorial independence & corrections
PlainChildcare is independent and accepts no advertising or sponsorship from childcare providers. Found a figure that looks wrong? Reach us via the contact page and we will verify against the source DOL release. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Frequently asked
Where does PlainChildcare get its childcare cost data?
All data comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices, which tracks childcare costs by county, age group, and care type across the entire United States.
What does the affordability desert indicator mean?
A county is flagged as a childcare affordability desert when center-based infant care exceeds 20% of median family income, nearly 3× the 7% the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers affordable. These are the counties where childcare costs are most severe relative to local incomes.
Is PlainChildcare free?
Yes, PlainChildcare is completely free. You can look up childcare costs for any of the 2,662 U.S. counties (of 3,224 total) with reported pricing data in the underlying survey, without any account or subscription.
How often is the childcare cost data updated?
The Department of Labor updates the National Database of Childcare Prices periodically. We update our data when new releases become available, typically reflecting costs from the most recent survey year.
Related Guides
Editorial context for the plainchildcare dataset, methodology, comparisons, and deep dives into the underlying records.
Lowest State Averages for Infant Care in 2022
In-depth guide with context and practical steps.
Childcare Price History: What the 2008–2022 DOL Data Shows
In-depth guide with context and practical steps.
Childcare Subsidy Programs: Federal and State Assistance
In-depth guide with context and practical steps.
Research
Original analysis from PlainChildcare, every statistic derived from our own database. See all research.
What to do with this
Childcare cost is mostly about where you live and what help you qualify for, start with your own county and income.
- 100% of priced counties charge more than the federal 7%-of-income affordability line. See exactly where your county and household income land. Affordability calculator
- The cheapest-to-priciest county gap is 6.7×, so location is the single biggest lever on price. Compare the cheapest and costliest counties nationwide. See the rankings
- If care is straining the budget, federal and state programs (CCDF, Head Start) can cut it sharply. Check whether your family is likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.