County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Baltimore City, MD
The standout signal in Baltimore City, MD is income burden: infant center care takes 22.3% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 36% above the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $13,001
- Center Infant/yr
- $9,359
- Family Infant/yr
- $58,349
- Median Income
- 22.3%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Baltimore City pairs the 13th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.
- 13th pct.
- affordability nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Wide
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #2,329
- 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.
Steep-price tercile: family infant care here is $9,359/yr beside the $13,001 center sticker; toddler center care is $11,246/yr.
Steep-book age ladder for Baltimore City
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $13,001 | $9,359 |
| Toddler | $11,246 | $8,097 |
| Preschool | $11,246 | $8,097 |
| School Age | $9,845 | $7,293 |
Where Baltimore City ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$13,001 more affordable than 12% 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
Baltimore City vs. every other Maryland county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 24 Maryland counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Maryland median.
Within Maryland, Baltimore City has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Maryland county (its national standing, the 13th 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 Baltimore City
Baltimore City sits in the steep-price third of NDCP-priced counties (HIGH), read center premiums and the infant-to-school-age drop as county-specific, not a clone caption.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $13,001 | $9,359 | +$3,642 (+38.9%) |
| Toddler | $11,246 | $8,097 | +$3,149 (+38.9%) |
| Preschool | $11,246 | $8,097 | +$3,149 (+38.9%) |
| School Age | $9,845 | $7,293 | +$2,552 (+35%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $45,338/year versus $32,846/year for family care ($12,492 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.32× school-age center care here. Among the 24Maryland counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Baltimore City ranks #9 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Baltimore City burden reading
The standout signal in Baltimore City, MD is income burden: infant center care takes 22.3% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 36% above the national average.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Baltimore City put infant center care at 22.3% of a $58,349 ACS median, well above the HHS 7% line and already in the steep sticker third of the national book. 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)
Center-based infant care costs over 2013–2022 (10 years of NDCP data).
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 | $14,650 |
| 2014 | $14,560 |
| 2015 | $14,470 |
| 2016 | $14,380 |
| 2017 | $14,289 |
| 2018 | $14,032 |
| 2019 | $13,774 |
| 2020 | $13,516 |
| 2021 | $13,258 |
| 2022 | $13,001 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Maryland
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Baltimore City's HIGH NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Baltimore City
Infant center care here runs 22.3% of the local median income (DESERT), check where your own household lands.
- Baltimore City spends 22.3% 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
- $13,001/yr center infant sticker (HIGH) - see how Baltimore City 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 Baltimore City families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.