County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Charleston County, SC
The standout signal in Charleston County, SC is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $3,290/yr more than family care (wide premium tercile) beside a $10,506 center sticker.
Data updated 2026-07-05
- $10,506
- Center Infant/yr
- $7,216
- Family Infant/yr
- $78,795
- Median Income
- 13.3%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Charleston County pairs the 32nd percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a moderate income burden on families.
- 32nd pct.
- affordability nationally
- Moderate
- income-burden tier
- Wide
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,801
- of 2,662 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: $9,592 average.
Steep-price tercile: family infant care here is $7,216/yr beside the $10,506 center sticker; toddler center care is $9,775/yr.
Steep-book age ladder for Charleston County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $10,506 | $7,216 |
| Toddler | $9,775 | $7,216 |
| Preschool | $9,565 | $6,989 |
| School Age | $7,232 | $4,695 |
Where Charleston County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$10,506 more affordable than 32% of 2,662 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
Charleston County vs. every other South Carolina county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 South Carolina counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the South Carolina median.
Within South Carolina, Charleston County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical South Carolina county (its national standing, the 32nd 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 Charleston County
Charleston County sits in the steep-price third of NDCP-priced counties (PAR), read center premiums and the infant-to-school-age drop as county-specific, not a clone caption.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $10,506 | $7,216 | +$3,290 (+45.6%) |
| Toddler | $9,775 | $7,216 | +$2,559 (+35.5%) |
| Preschool | $9,565 | $6,989 | +$2,576 (+36.9%) |
| School Age | $7,232 | $4,695 | +$2,537 (+54%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $37,078/year versus $26,116/year for family care ($10,962 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.45× school-age center care here. Among the 46South Carolina counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Charleston County ranks #41 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Charleston County premium reading
The standout signal in Charleston County, SC is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $3,290/yr more than family care (wide premium tercile) beside a $10,506 center sticker.
Mid-burden tercile: Charleston County spends 13.3% of a $78,795 median on infant center care (HEAVY). Pair the PAR sticker with the age-group table before treating any single cell as the household story.
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)
Center-based infant care costs over 2014–2022 (9 years of NDCP data).
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | N/A |
| 2009 | N/A |
| 2010 | N/A |
| 2011 | N/A |
| 2012 | N/A |
| 2013 | N/A |
| 2014 | $6,825 |
| 2015 | $7,150 |
| 2016 | $7,475 |
| 2017 | $7,800 |
| 2018 | $8,341 |
| 2019 | $8,882 |
| 2020 | $9,423 |
| 2021 | $9,965 |
| 2022 | $10,506 |
Nearest infant-price counties in South Carolina
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Charleston County's PAR NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Charleston County
Infant center care here runs 13.3% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Charleston County spends 13.3% 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
- $10,506/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Charleston 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 Charleston County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.