County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Aroostook County, ME
The standout signal in Aroostook County, ME is income burden: infant center care takes 19.8% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 5% above the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $10,053
- Center Infant/yr
- $6,933
- Family Infant/yr
- $50,843
- Median Income
- 19.8%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Aroostook County pairs the 38th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.
- 38th pct.
- affordability nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Wide
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,663
- of 2,661 priced counties
A center-based childcare affordability composite (infant, preschool, and school-age price burden relative to local median income) plus poverty rate, benchmarked against every other tracked county nationally. Not a rating of childcare quality, safety, or availability. Dimensions with no data on file are excluded and their weight redistributed, never counted as zero.
National sticker context: $9,593 average.
Center-based infant care in Aroostook County, ME costs $10,053/year, while family childcare is $6,933/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 19.8% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,190/year.
Heavy-burden age costs in Aroostook County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $10,053 | $6,933 |
| Toddler | $8,190 | $6,933 |
| Preschool | $7,367 | $5,893 |
| School Age | $7,141 | $6,023 |
Where Aroostook County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$10,053 more affordable than 37% of 2,661 US counties
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
Aroostook County vs. every other Maine county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 16 Maine counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Maine median.
Within Maine, Aroostook County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Maine county (its national standing, the 38th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Aroostook County
Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (19.8% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $10,053 | $6,933 | +$3,120 (+45%) |
| Toddler | $8,190 | $6,933 | +$1,257 (+18.1%) |
| Preschool | $7,367 | $5,893 | +$1,474 (+25%) |
| School Age | $7,141 | $6,023 | +$1,118 (+18.6%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $32,751/year versus $25,782/year for family care ($6,969 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.41× school-age center care here. Among the 16Maine counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Aroostook County ranks #3 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Aroostook County burden reading
The standout signal in Aroostook County, ME is income burden: infant center care takes 19.8% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 5% above the national average.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Aroostook County put infant center care at 19.8% of a $50,843 ACS median, well above the HHS 7% line. Treat subsidy and family-setting trade-offs as first-order, not footnotes.
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.
Historical Price Trends (2008–2022)
The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 11 years, from 2012 through 2022.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | N/A |
| 2009 | N/A |
| 2010 | N/A |
| 2011 | N/A |
| 2012 | $7,748 |
| 2013 | $7,280 |
| 2014 | $7,670 |
| 2015 | $8,060 |
| 2016 | $8,147 |
| 2017 | $8,233 |
| 2018 | $8,320 |
| 2019 | $8,753 |
| 2020 | $9,187 |
| 2021 | $9,620 |
| 2022 | $10,053 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Maine
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Aroostook County's PAR NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Aroostook County
Infant center care here runs 19.8% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Aroostook County spends 19.8% of median income on infant center care, above the HHS 7%-of-income affordability line. See exactly where your own household income lands. Affordability calculator
- $10,053/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Aroostook County compares against the full national ladder. National rankings
- If care is straining the budget, federal and state programs (CCDF, Head Start) can cut it sharply. Check whether Aroostook County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.