County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Baraga County, MI

The standout signal in Baraga County, MI is income burden: infant center care takes 17.8% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 3% below the national average.

Data updated 2026-07-05

$9,261
Center Infant/yr
$8,320
Family Infant/yr
$51,911
Median Income
17.8%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Baraga County pairs the 47th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.

47th pct.
affordability nationally
Heavy
income-burden tier
Narrow
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,399
of 2,662 priced counties
D
PlainChildcare Composite Score
27/100
Baraga County, MI

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.

Infant care burden D
Center-based infant care costs 17.8% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden F
Center-based preschool care costs 17.6% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden F
Center-based school-age care costs 16.8% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship C
8.3% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,592 average.

Baraga County, MI families pay $9,261/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $8,320/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 17.8% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $9,261/year.

Heavy-burden age costs in Baraga County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $9,261 $8,320
Toddler $9,261 $8,320
Preschool $9,143 $7,800
School Age $8,718 $7,280

Where Baraga County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$9,261 more affordable than 47% 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

Baraga County vs. every other Michigan county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Michigan counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Michigan median.

Median household income vs Avg. annual infant care 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by Median household income (X) and Avg. annual infant care (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. High income, high costLow income, high costHigh income, low costLow income, low cost $40,000$50,000$60,000$70,000$80,000$90,000 $5,000$6,000$7,000$8,000$9,000$10,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Michigan, Baraga County has lower income but higher infant-care cost than the typical Michigan county (its national standing, the 47th 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 Baraga County

Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (17.8% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $9,261 $8,320 +$941 (+11.3%)
Toddler $9,261 $8,320 +$941 (+11.3%)
Preschool $9,143 $7,800 +$1,343 (+17.2%)
School Age $8,718 $7,280 +$1,438 (+19.8%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $36,383/year versus $31,720/year for family care ($4,663 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.06× school-age center care here. Among the 83Michigan counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Baraga County ranks #76 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Baraga County burden reading

The standout signal in Baraga County, MI is income burden: infant center care takes 17.8% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 3% below the national average.

Heavy-burden tercile counties like Baraga County put infant center care at 17.8% of a $51,911 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.

Here's how center-based infant care priced out from 2008 to 2022, across 15 years of NDCP survey data.

+51.7% since 2008
Infant center care: $6,104 → $9,261
$9,261/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$6,104
2009
$5,189
2010
$5,518
2011
$5,847
2012
$6,030
2013
$6,213
2014
$6,384
2015
$6,555
2016
$6,830
2017
$7,105
2018
$7,379
2019
$7,850
2020
$8,320
2021
$8,791
2022
$9,261
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $6,104
2009 $5,189
2010 $5,518
2011 $5,847
2012 $6,030
2013 $6,213
2014 $6,384
2015 $6,555
2016 $6,830
2017 $7,105
2018 $7,379
2019 $7,850
2020 $8,320
2021 $8,791
2022 $9,261

What to do with Baraga County

Infant center care here runs 17.8% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • Baraga County spends 17.8% 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
  • $9,261/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Baraga 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 Baraga County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.