County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Cameron County, TX
The standout signal in Cameron County, TX is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $676/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $8,008 center sticker.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $8,008
- Center Infant/yr
- $7,332
- Family Infant/yr
- $47,435
- Median Income
- 16.9%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Cameron County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a heavy income burden on families.
- Top 40%
- cheapest nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Narrow
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,055
- 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.
Cameron County, TX families pay $8,008/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $7,332/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 16.9% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $7,592/year.
Heavy-burden age costs in Cameron County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8,008 | $7,332 |
| Toddler | $7,592 | $7,072 |
| Preschool | $7,436 | $6,968 |
| School Age | $7,072 | $6,708 |
Where Cameron County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$8,008 Among the most affordable more affordable than 60% 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
Cameron County vs. every other Texas county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Texas counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Texas median.
Within Texas, Cameron County has lower income but higher infant-care cost than the typical Texas 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 Cameron County
Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (16.9% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8,008 | $7,332 | +$676 (+9.2%) |
| Toddler | $7,592 | $7,072 | +$520 (+7.4%) |
| Preschool | $7,436 | $6,968 | +$468 (+6.7%) |
| School Age | $7,072 | $6,708 | +$364 (+5.4%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $30,108/year versus $28,080/year for family care ($2,028 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.13× school-age center care here. Among the 254Texas counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Cameron County ranks #181 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Cameron County premium reading
The standout signal in Cameron County, TX is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $676/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $8,008 center sticker.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Cameron County put infant center care at 16.9% of a $47,435 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)
Here's how center-based infant care priced out from 2009 to 2022, across 14 years of NDCP survey data.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | N/A |
| 2009 | $4,861 |
| 2010 | $4,883 |
| 2011 | $4,905 |
| 2012 | $4,927 |
| 2013 | $5,426 |
| 2014 | $5,418 |
| 2015 | $5,619 |
| 2016 | $5,598 |
| 2017 | $6,209 |
| 2018 | $6,492 |
| 2019 | $6,867 |
| 2020 | $7,241 |
| 2021 | $7,956 |
| 2022 | $8,008 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Texas
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Cameron County's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Cameron County
Infant center care here runs 16.9% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Cameron County spends 16.9% 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
- $8,008/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Cameron 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 Cameron County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.