County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Decatur County, TN
The standout signal in Decatur County, TN is sticker price: center infant care runs $5,807/yr (QUIET · quiet-price tercile · #246 of 2,662), 39% below the U.S. average.
Data updated 2026-07-05
- $5,807
- Center Infant/yr
- $4,195
- Family Infant/yr
- $48,466
- Median Income
- 12.0%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Decatur County pairs top-10% cheapest infant care nationally with a light income burden on families.
- Top 9%
- cheapest nationally
- Light
- income-burden tier
- Moderate
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #246
- 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.
Quiet-price tercile: center infant care is $5,807/yr with family care at $4,195/yr (12.0% of median income), absolute stickers are low; capacity and waitlists still bind.
Quiet-book age ladder for Decatur County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $5,807 | $4,195 |
| Toddler | $5,068 | $4,632 |
| Preschool | $5,068 | $4,632 |
| School Age | $2,444 | $5,287 |
Where Decatur County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$5,807 Among the most affordable more affordable than 91% 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
Decatur County vs. every other Tennessee county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Tennessee counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Tennessee median.
Within Tennessee, Decatur County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Tennessee county (its national standing, top-10% cheapest infant care nationally, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Decatur County
Decatur County sits in the quieter-price third (QUIET), complete ladders here still show setting trade-offs even when the absolute sticker is low.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $5,807 | $4,195 | +$1,612 (+38.4%) |
| Toddler | $5,068 | $4,632 | +$436 (+9.4%) |
| Preschool | $5,068 | $4,632 | +$436 (+9.4%) |
| School Age | $2,444 | $5,287 | $-2,843 (-53.8%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $18,387/year versus $18,746/year for family care ($359 less at a center). Infant center care runs 2.38× school-age center care here. Among the 95Tennessee counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Decatur County ranks #1 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Decatur County sticker reading
The standout signal in Decatur County, TN is sticker price: center infant care runs $5,807/yr (QUIET · quiet-price tercile · #246 of 2,662), 39% below the U.S. average.
Light-burden tercile reading: Decatur County keeps infant center care at 12.0% of a $48,466 median (OVER7). Sticker still matters (QUIET), but income share is not the binding constraint versus waitlists and licensed capacity.
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 2008–2022 (15 years of NDCP data).
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $4,940 |
| 2009 | $4,992 |
| 2010 | $5,200 |
| 2011 | $5,460 |
| 2012 | $5,460 |
| 2013 | $5,564 |
| 2014 | $5,720 |
| 2015 | $5,928 |
| 2016 | $5,980 |
| 2017 | $6,500 |
| 2018 | $9,620 |
| 2019 | $8,667 |
| 2020 | $7,713 |
| 2021 | $6,760 |
| 2022 | $5,807 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Tennessee
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Decatur County's QUIET NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Decatur County
Infant center care here runs 12.0% of the local median income (OVER7), check where your own household lands.
- Decatur County spends 12.0% 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
- $5,807/yr center infant sticker (QUIET) - see how Decatur 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 Decatur County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.