County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Clarke County, AL
The standout signal in Clarke County, AL is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $157/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $6,882 center sticker.
Data updated 2026-07-05
- $6,882
- Center Infant/yr
- $6,725
- Family Infant/yr
- $47,549
- Median Income
- 14.5%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Clarke County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a moderate income burden on families.
- Top 27%
- cheapest nationally
- Moderate
- income-burden tier
- Narrow
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #714
- 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.
Quiet-price tercile: center infant care is $6,882/yr with family care at $6,725/yr (14.5% of median income), absolute stickers are low; capacity and waitlists still bind.
Quiet-book age ladder for Clarke County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $6,882 | $6,725 |
| Toddler | $6,669 | $6,725 |
| Preschool | $6,344 | $6,725 |
| School Age | $5,750 | $5,100 |
Where Clarke County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$6,882 Among the most affordable more affordable than 73% 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
Clarke County vs. every other Alabama county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Alabama counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Alabama median.
Within Alabama, Clarke County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Alabama 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 Clarke County
Clarke County sits in the quieter-price third (MID), complete ladders here still show setting trade-offs even when the absolute sticker is low.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $6,882 | $6,725 | +$157 (+2.3%) |
| Toddler | $6,669 | $6,725 | $-56 (-0.8%) |
| Preschool | $6,344 | $6,725 | $-381 (-5.7%) |
| School Age | $5,750 | $5,100 | +$650 (+12.7%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $25,645/year versus $25,275/year for family care ($370 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.2× school-age center care here. Among the 67Alabama counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Clarke County ranks #20 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Clarke County premium reading
The standout signal in Clarke County, AL is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $157/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $6,882 center sticker.
Mid-burden tercile: Clarke County spends 14.5% of a $47,549 median on infant center care (HEAVY). Pair the MID 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)
The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 15 years, from 2008 through 2022.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $5,906 |
| 2009 | $5,870 |
| 2010 | $5,834 |
| 2011 | $5,798 |
| 2012 | $5,762 |
| 2013 | $5,726 |
| 2014 | $5,691 |
| 2015 | $5,885 |
| 2016 | $6,079 |
| 2017 | $6,273 |
| 2018 | $6,395 |
| 2019 | $6,517 |
| 2020 | $6,638 |
| 2021 | $6,760 |
| 2022 | $6,882 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Alabama
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Clarke County's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Clarke County
Infant center care here runs 14.5% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Clarke County spends 14.5% 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
- $6,882/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Clarke 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 Clarke County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.