County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Daniels County, MT

Affordability desert

$10,225 a year for center-based infant care - 21.6% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.

Center-based infant care in Daniels County, MT costs $10,225/year, while family childcare is $8,070/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 21.6% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $10,751/year, and preschool-age care is $9,147/year.

$10,225
Center Infant/yr
$8,070
Family Infant/yr
$47,378
Median Income
21.6%
% of Income (Infant)

NDCP county market brief

Daniels County, MT sticker posture in this snapshot

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

  1. PAR NDCP sticker band
  2. DESERT HHS income share
  3. #1,699 of 2,662 National infant rank
  4. $10,225 Center infant/yr
  5. $8,070 Family infant/yr
  6. Greer County Nearest price peer
  7. 8/8 NDCP cells filled
  8. 2022 Survey vintage

Infant-price neighbourhood

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

Daniels (this)$10,225Toole County$10,721Glacier County$10,786Deer Lodge C…$10,814Meagher County$10,847Judith Basin…$10,853

Price-band peers

Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $10,225 $8,070
Toddler $10,751 $8,280
Preschool $9,147 $8,280
School Age $9,147 $7,639

Where Daniels County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$10,225 more affordable than 36% 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 Daniels County

Complete NDCP ladder under a DESERT income burden (21.6% of ACS median) - compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $10,225 $8,070 +$2,155 (+26.7%)
Toddler $10,751 $8,280 +$2,471 (+29.8%)
Preschool $9,147 $8,280 +$867 (+10.5%)
School Age $9,147 $7,639 +$1,508 (+19.7%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $39,270/year versus $32,269/year for family care ($7,001 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.12× school-age center care here. Among the 56Montana counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Daniels County ranks #1 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

What These Numbers Mean for Daniels County Families

Daniels County's median household income of $47,378 sets the bar for what counts as affordable care here, putting infant center care at 21.6% of gross income. Against the federal 7% affordability benchmark, the typical family here exceeds the federal affordability line by 14.6 points.At over 20% of income, Daniels County qualifies as an affordability desert, counties where childcare competes with housing and healthcare for household budget share.

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.

The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 8 years, from 2015 through 2022.

+25.9% since 2015
Infant center care: $8,119 → $10,225
$10,225/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
8 years
Data available (2015–2022)
2015
$8,119
2016
$8,420
2017
$8,721
2018
$9,021
2019
$9,323
2020
$9,623
2021
$9,924
2022
$10,225
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 N/A
2015 $8,119
2016 $8,420
2017 $8,721
2018 $9,021
2019 $9,323
2020 $9,623
2021 $9,924
2022 $10,225

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.