Childcare costs in Eaton County, MI
$8,091 a year for center-based infant care - 10.5% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.
Eaton County, MI families pay $8,091/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $9,599/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 10.5% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,091/year, and preschool-age care is $7,532/year.
- $8,091
- Center Infant/yr
- $9,599
- Family Infant/yr
- $77,158
- Median Income
- 10.5%
- % of Income (Infant)
NDCP county market brief
Eaton County, MI sticker posture in this snapshot
Entity-varying stamps from DOL NDCP county medians and ACS income burden, not a clone nationwide scaffold.
- MID NDCP sticker band
- OVER7 HHS income share
- #1,103 of 2,662 National infant rank
- $8,091 Center infant/yr
- $9,599 Family infant/yr
- Clinton County Nearest price peer
- 8/8 NDCP cells filled
- 2022 Survey vintage
Infant-price neighbourhood
Nearest ABS(center_infant) peers in MI (NDCP 2022).
Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8,091 | $9,599 |
| Toddler | $8,091 | $9,836 |
| Preschool | $7,532 | $9,836 |
| School Age | $6,011 | $5,676 |
Where Eaton County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$8,091 more affordable than 59% 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
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Eaton County
Every age×setting NDCP cell is reported here (MID / OVER7) - center premium and age-step are county-specific, not a clone caption.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8,091 | $9,599 | $-1,508 (-15.7%) |
| Toddler | $8,091 | $9,836 | $-1,745 (-17.7%) |
| Preschool | $7,532 | $9,836 | $-2,304 (-23.4%) |
| School Age | $6,011 | $5,676 | +$335 (+5.9%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $29,725/year versus $34,947/year for family care ($5,222 less at a center). Infant center care runs 1.35× school-age center care here. Among the 83Michigan counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Eaton County ranks #61 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
What These Numbers Mean for Eaton County Families
Household affordability in Eaton County tracks against a median income of $77,158, putting infant center care at 10.5% of gross income. The HHS benchmark is 7%, meaning the typical family here exceeds the federal affordability line by 3.5 points.Eaton 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.
Historical Price Trends (2008–2022)
Here's how center-based infant care priced out from 2008 to 2022, across 15 years of NDCP survey data.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $7,807 |
| 2009 | $7,034 |
| 2010 | $7,516 |
| 2011 | $7,999 |
| 2012 | $8,250 |
| 2013 | $8,501 |
| 2014 | $8,605 |
| 2015 | $8,708 |
| 2016 | $9,101 |
| 2017 | $9,494 |
| 2018 | $9,886 |
| 2019 | $8,989 |
| 2020 | $8,091 |
| 2021 | $7,194 |
| 2022 | $8,091 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Michigan
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Eaton County's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
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.