County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Carter County, OK

$11,003 a year for center-based infant care - 19.5% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.

Carter County, OK families pay $11,003/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $7,988/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 19.5% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $9,513/year, and preschool-age care is $9,513/year.

$11,003
Center Infant/yr
$7,988
Family Infant/yr
$56,390
Median Income
19.5%
% of Income (Infant)

NDCP county market brief

Carter County, OK sticker posture in this snapshot

Entity-varying stamps from DOL NDCP county medians and ACS income burden, not a clone nationwide scaffold.

  1. HIGH NDCP sticker band
  2. HEAVY HHS income share
  3. #1,955 of 2,662 National infant rank
  4. $11,003 Center infant/yr
  5. $7,988 Family infant/yr
  6. Anderson County Nearest price peer
  7. 8/8 NDCP cells filled
  8. 2022 Survey vintage

Infant-price neighbourhood

Nearest ABS(center_infant) peers in OK (NDCP 2022).

Carter (this)$11,003Harmon County$10,995Beaver County$10,992Pawnee County$10,983Pottawatomie…$10,941Garfield Cou…$11,072

Price-band peers

Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $11,003 $7,988
Toddler $9,513 $7,345
Preschool $9,513 $7,345
School Age $6,219 $5,600

Where Carter County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$11,003 more affordable than 27% 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

Full NDCP Care Ladder in Carter County

Complete NDCP ladder under a HEAVY income burden (19.5% of ACS median) - compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $11,003 $7,988 +$3,015 (+37.7%)
Toddler $9,513 $7,345 +$2,168 (+29.5%)
Preschool $9,513 $7,345 +$2,168 (+29.5%)
School Age $6,219 $5,600 +$619 (+11.1%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $36,248/year versus $28,278/year for family care ($7,970 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.77× school-age center care here. Among the 77Oklahoma counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Carter County ranks #65 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

What These Numbers Mean for Carter County Families

Household affordability in Carter County tracks against a median income of $56,390, putting infant center care at 19.5% of gross income. HHS draws the affordability line at 7% of income, and the typical local family exceeds the federal affordability line by 12.5 points.Between 15-20% of income, Carter County sits in a high-burden tier where most working families need subsidy help or split shifts to cover care.

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.

+88.4% since 2008
Infant center care: $5,840 → $11,003
$11,003/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$5,840
2009
$6,221
2010
$6,603
2011
$6,801
2012
$6,998
2013
$7,394
2014
$7,790
2015
$7,893
2016
$7,996
2017
$8,099
2018
$8,680
2019
$9,261
2020
$9,841
2021
$10,422
2022
$11,003
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $5,840
2009 $6,221
2010 $6,603
2011 $6,801
2012 $6,998
2013 $7,394
2014 $7,790
2015 $7,893
2016 $7,996
2017 $8,099
2018 $8,680
2019 $9,261
2020 $9,841
2021 $10,422
2022 $11,003

PlainChildcare is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices and Census ACS income data, no number is typed in by an editor. County childcare prices and affordability ratios are computed from NDCP and ACS records for this county. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026. Primary sources: DOL Women's Bureau NDCP and U.S. Census Bureau ACS.