County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Bourbon County, KY

The standout signal in Bourbon County, KY is income burden: infant center care takes 18.7% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 6% above the national average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$10,182
Center Infant/yr
$8,662
Family Infant/yr
$54,580
Median Income
18.7%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Bourbon County pairs the 36th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.

36th pct.
affordability nationally
Heavy
income-burden tier
Moderate
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,693
of 2,661 priced counties
D
PlainChildcare Composite Score
22/100
Bourbon County, KY

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 18.7% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden F
Center-based preschool care costs 15.9% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden F
Center-based school-age care costs 16% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship D
11.2% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,593 average.

The going rate for center-based infant care in Bourbon County, KY is $10,182/year, while family childcare is $8,662/year, per the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). This represents 18.7% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,695/year.

Heavy-burden age costs in Bourbon County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $10,182 $8,662
Toddler $8,695 $7,826
Preschool $8,695 $7,826
School Age $8,749 $8,693

Where Bourbon County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$10,182 more affordable than 36% of 2,661 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

Bourbon County vs. every other Kentucky county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Kentucky counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Kentucky 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 $20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000 $4,000$6,000$8,000$10,000$12,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Kentucky, Bourbon County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Kentucky county (its national standing, the 36th 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 Bourbon County

Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (18.7% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $10,182 $8,662 +$1,520 (+17.5%)
Toddler $8,695 $7,826 +$869 (+11.1%)
Preschool $8,695 $7,826 +$869 (+11.1%)
School Age $8,749 $8,693 +$56 (+0.6%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $36,321/year versus $33,007/year for family care ($3,314 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.16× school-age center care here. Among the 120Kentucky counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Bourbon County ranks #105 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Bourbon County burden reading

The standout signal in Bourbon County, KY is income burden: infant center care takes 18.7% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 6% above the national average.

Heavy-burden tercile counties like Bourbon County put infant center care at 18.7% of a $54,580 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.

Center-based infant care costs over 2008–2022 (15 years of NDCP data).

+79.2% since 2008
Infant center care: $5,683 → $10,182
$10,182/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$5,683
2009
$6,073
2010
$6,464
2011
$6,854
2012
$6,680
2013
$6,507
2014
$6,764
2015
$7,020
2016
$7,410
2017
$7,800
2018
$8,276
2019
$8,753
2020
$9,229
2021
$9,705
2022
$10,182
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $5,683
2009 $6,073
2010 $6,464
2011 $6,854
2012 $6,680
2013 $6,507
2014 $6,764
2015 $7,020
2016 $7,410
2017 $7,800
2018 $8,276
2019 $8,753
2020 $9,229
2021 $9,705
2022 $10,182

What to do with Bourbon County

Infant center care here runs 18.7% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • Bourbon County spends 18.7% 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
  • $10,182/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Bourbon 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 Bourbon County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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