County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Delta County, MI

$7,470 a year for center-based infant care - 13.9% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.

Delta County, MI families pay $7,470/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $7,405/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 13.9% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,137/year, and preschool-age care is $8,137/year.

$7,470
Center Infant/yr
$7,405
Family Infant/yr
$53,852
Median Income
13.9%
% of Income (Infant)

NDCP county market brief

Delta County, MI sticker posture in this snapshot

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

  1. MID NDCP sticker band
  2. HEAVY HHS income share
  3. #878 of 2,662 National infant rank
  4. $7,470 Center infant/yr
  5. $7,405 Family infant/yr
  6. Appomattox County Nearest price peer
  7. 8/8 NDCP cells filled
  8. 2022 Survey vintage

Infant-price neighbourhood

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

Delta (this)$7,470Lapeer County$7,519Marquette Co…$7,417Gratiot County$7,371Mason County$7,570Houghton Cou…$7,607

Price-band peers

Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $7,470 $7,405
Toddler $8,137 $7,405
Preschool $8,137 $7,280
School Age $8,750 $7,280

Where Delta County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$7,470 Among the most affordable more affordable than 67% 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 Delta County

Complete NDCP ladder under a HEAVY income burden (13.9% of ACS median) - compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $7,470 $7,405 +$65 (+0.9%)
Toddler $8,137 $7,405 +$732 (+9.9%)
Preschool $8,137 $7,280 +$857 (+11.8%)
School Age $8,750 $7,280 +$1,470 (+20.2%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $32,494/year versus $29,370/year for family care ($3,124 more at a center). Infant center care runs 0.85× school-age center care here. Among the 83Michigan counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Delta County ranks #49 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

What These Numbers Mean for Delta County Families

Weighed against a $53,852 median household income, Delta County's childcare bill tells an affordability story, putting infant center care at 13.9% of gross income. Against the federal 7% affordability benchmark, the typical family here exceeds the federal affordability line by 6.9 points.Delta County families generally find care more manageable than the national picture, though waitlists at licensed providers remain the real bottleneck.

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.

+22.4% since 2008
Infant center care: $6,105 → $7,470
$7,470/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$6,105
2009
$5,476
2010
$5,801
2011
$6,125
2012
$6,341
2013
$6,558
2014
$6,533
2015
$6,508
2016
$6,785
2017
$7,063
2018
$7,340
2019
$7,373
2020
$7,405
2021
$7,438
2022
$7,470
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $6,105
2009 $5,476
2010 $5,801
2011 $6,125
2012 $6,341
2013 $6,558
2014 $6,533
2015 $6,508
2016 $6,785
2017 $7,063
2018 $7,340
2019 $7,373
2020 $7,405
2021 $7,438
2022 $7,470

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.