County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Dallas County, TX
The standout signal in Dallas County, TX is sticker price: center infant care runs $10,088/yr (PAR · mid-price tercile · #1,670 of 2,662), 5% above the U.S. average.
Data updated 2026-07-05
- $10,088
- Center Infant/yr
- $8,944
- Family Infant/yr
- $70,732
- Median Income
- 14.3%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Dallas County pairs the 37th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a moderate income burden on families.
- 37th pct.
- affordability nationally
- Moderate
- income-burden tier
- Moderate
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,670
- 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.
Center-based infant care in Dallas County, TX costs $10,088/year, while family childcare is $8,944/year, per the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). This represents 14.3% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $9,360/year.
Annual childcare costs by age in Dallas County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $10,088 | $8,944 |
| Toddler | $9,360 | $8,476 |
| Preschool | $9,100 | $8,320 |
| School Age | $8,528 | $7,852 |
Where Dallas County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$10,088 more affordable than 37% 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
Dallas 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, Dallas County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Texas county (its national standing, the 37th 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 Dallas County
Every age×setting NDCP cell is reported here (PAR / HEAVY · mid-price), center premium and age-step are county-specific.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $10,088 | $8,944 | +$1,144 (+12.8%) |
| Toddler | $9,360 | $8,476 | +$884 (+10.4%) |
| Preschool | $9,100 | $8,320 | +$780 (+9.4%) |
| School Age | $8,528 | $7,852 | +$676 (+8.6%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $37,076/year versus $33,592/year for family care ($3,484 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.18× school-age center care here. Among the 254Texas counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Dallas County ranks #243 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Dallas County sticker reading
The standout signal in Dallas County, TX is sticker price: center infant care runs $10,088/yr (PAR · mid-price tercile · #1,670 of 2,662), 5% above the U.S. average.
Mid-burden tercile: Dallas County spends 14.3% of a $70,732 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 2009–2022 (14 years of NDCP data).
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | N/A |
| 2009 | $6,708 |
| 2010 | $7,010 |
| 2011 | $7,311 |
| 2012 | $7,613 |
| 2013 | $8,057 |
| 2014 | $7,569 |
| 2015 | $7,758 |
| 2016 | $8,141 |
| 2017 | $8,967 |
| 2018 | $9,373 |
| 2019 | $9,596 |
| 2020 | $9,818 |
| 2021 | $10,400 |
| 2022 | $10,088 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Texas
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Dallas County's PAR NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Dallas County
Infant center care here runs 14.3% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Dallas County spends 14.3% 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
- $10,088/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Dallas 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 Dallas County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.