County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Cochran County, TX
The standout signal in Cochran County, TX is income burden: infant center care takes 18.3% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 21% below the national average.
Data updated 2026-07-05
- $7,592
- Center Infant/yr
- $6,916
- Family Infant/yr
- $41,597
- Median Income
- 18.3%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Cochran County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a heavy income burden on families.
- Top 34%
- cheapest nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Narrow
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #907
- 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.
Center-based infant care in Cochran County, TX costs $7,592/year, while family childcare is $6,916/year, per the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). This represents 18.3% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $7,176/year.
Heavy-burden age costs in Cochran County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,592 | $6,916 |
| Toddler | $7,176 | $6,604 |
| Preschool | $6,968 | $6,552 |
| School Age | $6,656 | $6,240 |
Where Cochran County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$7,592 Among the most affordable more affordable than 65% 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
Cochran 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, Cochran 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 Cochran County
Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (18.3% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,592 | $6,916 | +$676 (+9.8%) |
| Toddler | $7,176 | $6,604 | +$572 (+8.7%) |
| Preschool | $6,968 | $6,552 | +$416 (+6.3%) |
| School Age | $6,656 | $6,240 | +$416 (+6.7%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $28,392/year versus $26,312/year for family care ($2,080 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.14× school-age center care here. Among the 254Texas counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Cochran County ranks #130 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Cochran County burden reading
The standout signal in Cochran County, TX is income burden: infant center care takes 18.3% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 21% below the national average.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Cochran County put infant center care at 18.3% of a $41,597 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)
The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 14 years, from 2009 through 2022.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | N/A |
| 2009 | $5,478 |
| 2010 | $5,619 |
| 2011 | $5,759 |
| 2012 | $5,899 |
| 2013 | $5,980 |
| 2014 | $5,629 |
| 2015 | $5,842 |
| 2016 | $6,388 |
| 2017 | $6,906 |
| 2018 | $6,906 |
| 2019 | $7,085 |
| 2020 | $7,264 |
| 2021 | $7,904 |
| 2022 | $7,592 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Texas
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Cochran County's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Cochran County
Infant center care here runs 18.3% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Cochran County spends 18.3% 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
- $7,592/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Cochran 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 Cochran County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.