County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Adams County, CO

Affordability desert

$20,405 a year for center-based infant care - 23.6% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.

Adams County, CO families pay $20,405/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $12,810/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 23.6% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $17,204/year, and preschool-age care is $14,087/year.

$20,405
Center Infant/yr
$12,810
Family Infant/yr
$86,297
Median Income
23.6%
% of Income (Infant)

NDCP county market brief

Adams County, CO sticker posture in this snapshot

Entity-varying stamps from DOL NDCP county medians and ACS income burden, not a clone nationwide scaffold.

  1. PEAK NDCP sticker band
  2. DESERT HHS income share
  3. #2,624 of 2,662 National infant rank
  4. $20,405 Center infant/yr
  5. $12,810 Family infant/yr
  6. Larimer County Nearest price peer
  7. 8/8 NDCP cells filled
  8. 2022 Survey vintage

Infant-price neighbourhood

Nearest ABS(center_infant) peers in CO (NDCP 2022).

Adams (this)$20,405Larimer County$20,345Park County$20,077Douglas County$20,862San Miguel C…$20,961Boulder County$21,000

Price-band peers

Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $20,405 $12,810
Toddler $17,204 $11,518
Preschool $14,087 $11,518
School Age $8,766 $10,314

Where Adams County ranks on infant-care cost

Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices

$20,405 more affordable than 1% of 2,662 US counties

This county $2,500 $32,500 every U.S. county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $2.5K-wide band; taller bars hold more US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices · 2022

Full NDCP Care Ladder in Adams County

Adams County fills every age×setting NDCP cell in the PEAK sticker band - center premiums and the infant-to-school-age drop are readable without a second national strip.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $20,405 $12,810 +$7,595 (+59.3%)
Toddler $17,204 $11,518 +$5,686 (+49.4%)
Preschool $14,087 $11,518 +$2,569 (+22.3%)
School Age $8,766 $10,314 $-1,548 (-15%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $60,462/year versus $46,160/year for family care ($14,302 more at a center). Infant center care runs 2.33× school-age center care here. Among the 62Colorado counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Adams County ranks #57 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

What These Numbers Mean for Adams County Families

Weighed against a $86,297 median household income, Adams County's childcare bill tells an affordability story, putting infant center care at 23.6% of gross income. HHS draws the affordability line at 7% of income, and the typical local family exceeds the federal affordability line by 16.6 points.At over 20% of income, Adams County qualifies as an affordability desert, counties where childcare competes with housing and healthcare for household budget share.

For how to vet a licensed provider (inspection reports, QRIS ratings, CCDF subsidy intake), see Choosing Quality Childcare. Rate methodology: how these numbers are computed.

Here's how center-based infant care priced out from 2014 to 2022, across 3 years of NDCP survey data.

+36.9% since 2014
Infant center care: $14,902 → $20,405
$20,405/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
3 years
Data available (2014–2022)
2014
$14,902
2015
$15,590
2022
$20,405
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 N/A
2009 N/A
2010 N/A
2011 N/A
2012 N/A
2013 N/A
2014 $14,902
2015 $15,590
2016 N/A
2017 N/A
2018 N/A
2019 N/A
2020 N/A
2021 N/A
2022 $20,405

PlainChildcare is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices and Census ACS income data, no number is typed in by an editor. County childcare prices and affordability ratios are computed from NDCP and ACS records for this county. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026. Primary sources: DOL Women's Bureau NDCP and U.S. Census Bureau ACS.