County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Atlantic County, NJ

Affordability desert

$14,907 a year for center-based infant care - 20.4% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.

Atlantic County, NJ families pay $14,907/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $9,371/year, per the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). This represents 20.4% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $14,459/year, and preschool-age care is $14,459/year.

$14,907
Center Infant/yr
$9,371
Family Infant/yr
$73,113
Median Income
20.4%
% of Income (Infant)

NDCP county market brief

Atlantic County, NJ sticker posture in this snapshot

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

  1. STEEP NDCP sticker band
  2. DESERT HHS income share
  3. #2,416 of 2,662 National infant rank
  4. $14,907 Center infant/yr
  5. $9,371 Family infant/yr
  6. Cumberland County Nearest price peer
  7. 8/8 NDCP cells filled
  8. 2022 Survey vintage

Infant-price neighbourhood

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

Atlantic (this)$14,907Cumberland C…$14,891Warren County$14,870Salem County$14,789Cape May Cou…$14,697Camden County$14,648

Price-band peers

Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $14,907 $9,371
Toddler $14,459 $9,631
Preschool $14,459 $9,024
School Age $6,942 $7,809

Where Atlantic County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$14,907 more affordable than 9% 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 Atlantic County

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

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $14,907 $9,371 +$5,536 (+59.1%)
Toddler $14,459 $9,631 +$4,828 (+50.1%)
Preschool $14,459 $9,024 +$5,435 (+60.2%)
School Age $6,942 $7,809 $-867 (-11.1%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $50,767/year versus $35,835/year for family care ($14,932 more at a center). Infant center care runs 2.15× school-age center care here. Among the 21New Jersey counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Atlantic County ranks #6 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

What These Numbers Mean for Atlantic County Families

Weighed against a $73,113 median household income, Atlantic County's childcare bill tells an affordability story, putting infant center care at 20.4% of gross income. The HHS benchmark is 7%, meaning the typical family here exceeds the federal affordability line by 13.4 points.At over 20% of income, Atlantic 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.

The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 15 years, from 2008 through 2022.

+72.2% since 2008
Infant center care: $8,655 → $14,907
$14,907/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$8,655
2009
$8,655
2010
$8,655
2011
$8,676
2012
$8,696
2013
$8,992
2014
$9,288
2015
$9,584
2016
$9,880
2017
$10,718
2018
$11,555
2019
$12,393
2020
$13,231
2021
$14,069
2022
$14,907
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $8,655
2009 $8,655
2010 $8,655
2011 $8,676
2012 $8,696
2013 $8,992
2014 $9,288
2015 $9,584
2016 $9,880
2017 $10,718
2018 $11,555
2019 $12,393
2020 $13,231
2021 $14,069
2022 $14,907

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.