County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Elbert County, CO
The standout signal in Elbert County, CO is sticker price: center infant care runs $14,591/yr (STEEP · steep-price tercile · #2,391 of 2,661), 52% above the U.S. average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $14,591
- Center Infant/yr
- $13,294
- Family Infant/yr
- $124,360
- Median Income
- 11.7%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Elbert County pairs the 10th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a light income burden on families.
- 10th pct.
- affordability nationally
- Light
- income-burden tier
- Moderate
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #2,391
- of 2,661 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.
Steep-price tercile: family infant care here is $13,294/yr beside the $14,591 center sticker; toddler center care is $13,835/yr.
Steep-book age ladder for Elbert County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $14,591 | $13,294 |
| Toddler | $13,835 | $11,942 |
| Preschool | $13,013 | $11,942 |
| School Age | $9,432 | $11,245 |
Where Elbert County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$14,591 more affordable than 10% of 2,661 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
Elbert County vs. every other Colorado county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Colorado counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Colorado median.
Within Colorado, Elbert County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Colorado county (its national standing, the 10th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Elbert County
Elbert County sits in the steep-price third of NDCP-priced counties (STEEP), read center premiums and the infant-to-school-age drop as county-specific, not a clone caption.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $14,591 | $13,294 | +$1,297 (+9.8%) |
| Toddler | $13,835 | $11,942 | +$1,893 (+15.9%) |
| Preschool | $13,013 | $11,942 | +$1,071 (+9%) |
| School Age | $9,432 | $11,245 | $-1,813 (-16.1%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $50,871/year versus $48,423/year for family care ($2,448 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.55× school-age center care here. Among the 62Colorado counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Elbert County ranks #36 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Elbert County sticker reading
The standout signal in Elbert County, CO is sticker price: center infant care runs $14,591/yr (STEEP · steep-price tercile · #2,391 of 2,661), 52% above the U.S. average.
Light-burden tercile reading: Elbert County keeps infant center care at 11.7% of a $124,360 median (OVER7). Sticker still matters (STEEP), 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)
The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 3 years, from 2014 through 2022.
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 | $15,732 |
| 2015 | $15,590 |
| 2016 | N/A |
| 2017 | N/A |
| 2018 | N/A |
| 2019 | N/A |
| 2020 | N/A |
| 2021 | N/A |
| 2022 | $14,591 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Colorado
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Elbert County's STEEP NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Elbert County
Infant center care here runs 11.7% of the local median income (OVER7), check where your own household lands.
- Elbert County spends 11.7% 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
- $14,591/yr center infant sticker (STEEP) - see how Elbert 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 Elbert County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.