County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Delaware County, OK

Affordability desert

$10,837 a year for center-based infant care - 20.3% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.

The going rate for center-based infant care in Delaware County, OK is $10,837/year, while family childcare is $7,871/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 20.3% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $9,366/year, and preschool-age care is $9,366/year.

$10,837
Center Infant/yr
$7,871
Family Infant/yr
$53,290
Median Income
20.3%
% of Income (Infant)

NDCP county market brief

Delaware County, OK sticker posture in this snapshot

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

  1. HIGH NDCP sticker band
  2. DESERT HHS income share
  3. #1,872 of 2,662 National infant rank
  4. $10,837 Center infant/yr
  5. $7,871 Family infant/yr
  6. Barnes County Nearest price peer
  7. 8/8 NDCP cells filled
  8. 2022 Survey vintage

Infant-price neighbourhood

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

Delaware (this)$10,837Woodward Cou…$10,846Bryan County$10,821Comanche Cou…$10,864Murray County$10,864Texas County$10,877

Price-band peers

Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $10,837 $7,871
Toddler $9,366 $7,242
Preschool $9,366 $7,242
School Age $6,122 $5,521

Where Delaware County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$10,837 more affordable than 30% 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 Delaware County

Complete NDCP ladder under a DESERT income burden (20.3% of ACS median) - compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $10,837 $7,871 +$2,966 (+37.7%)
Toddler $9,366 $7,242 +$2,124 (+29.3%)
Preschool $9,366 $7,242 +$2,124 (+29.3%)
School Age $6,122 $5,521 +$601 (+10.9%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $35,691/year versus $27,876/year for family care ($7,815 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.77× school-age center care here. Among the 77Oklahoma counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Delaware County ranks #53 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

What These Numbers Mean for Delaware County Families

Weighed against a $53,290 median household income, Delaware County's childcare bill tells an affordability story, putting infant center care at 20.3% of gross income. Against the federal 7% affordability benchmark, the typical family here exceeds the federal affordability line by 13.3 points.At over 20% of income, Delaware 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.

Here's how center-based infant care priced out from 2008 to 2022, across 15 years of NDCP survey data.

+94.6% since 2008
Infant center care: $5,568 → $10,837
$10,837/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$5,568
2009
$5,932
2010
$6,295
2011
$6,448
2012
$6,600
2013
$6,890
2014
$7,180
2015
$7,235
2016
$7,290
2017
$7,346
2018
$8,044
2019
$8,743
2020
$9,441
2021
$10,139
2022
$10,837
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $5,568
2009 $5,932
2010 $6,295
2011 $6,448
2012 $6,600
2013 $6,890
2014 $7,180
2015 $7,235
2016 $7,290
2017 $7,346
2018 $8,044
2019 $8,743
2020 $9,441
2021 $10,139
2022 $10,837

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.