County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Buena Vista City, VA
The standout signal in Buena Vista City, VA is income burden: infant center care takes 18.1% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 8% below the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $8,848
- Center Infant/yr
- $6,055
- Family Infant/yr
- $48,783
- Median Income
- 18.1%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Buena Vista City pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a heavy income burden on families.
- Top 48%
- cheapest nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Wide
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,271
- 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.
Buena Vista City, VA families pay $8,848/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $6,055/year, per the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). This represents 18.1% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $7,280/year.
Heavy-burden age costs in Buena Vista City
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8,848 | $6,055 |
| Toddler | $7,280 | $6,500 |
| Preschool | $7,280 | $6,500 |
| School Age | $7,020 | $9,286 |
Where Buena Vista City ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$8,848 more affordable than 52% 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
Buena Vista City vs. every other Virginia county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Virginia counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Virginia median.
Within Virginia, Buena Vista City has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Virginia county (its national standing, below-national-median infant care costs, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Buena Vista City
Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (18.1% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8,848 | $6,055 | +$2,793 (+46.1%) |
| Toddler | $7,280 | $6,500 | +$780 (+12%) |
| Preschool | $7,280 | $6,500 | +$780 (+12%) |
| School Age | $7,020 | $9,286 | $-2,266 (-24.4%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $30,428/year versus $28,341/year for family care ($2,087 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.26× school-age center care here. Among the 134Virginia counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Buena Vista City ranks #42 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Buena Vista City burden reading
The standout signal in Buena Vista City, VA is income burden: infant center care takes 18.1% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 8% below the national average.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Buena Vista City put infant center care at 18.1% of a $48,783 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)
13 years of federal survey data (2009–2022) show how center-based infant care has moved.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | N/A |
| 2009 | $7,280 |
| 2010 | $7,280 |
| 2011 | $7,280 |
| 2012 | $7,280 |
| 2013 | $7,713 |
| 2014 | $8,147 |
| 2015 | $8,580 |
| 2016 | $8,580 |
| 2017 | $8,580 |
| 2018 | $8,580 |
| 2019 | $8,580 |
| 2020 | $8,580 |
| 2021 | N/A |
| 2022 | $8,848 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Virginia
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Buena Vista City's PAR NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Buena Vista City
Infant center care here runs 18.1% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Buena Vista City spends 18.1% 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
- $8,848/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista City families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.