County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Emporia City, VA

The standout signal in Emporia City, VA is income burden: infant center care takes 24.2% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 5% above the national average.

Data updated 2026-07-05

$10,028
Center Infant/yr
$8,488
Family Infant/yr
$41,442
Median Income
24.2%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Emporia City pairs the 38th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.

38th pct.
affordability nationally
Heavy
income-burden tier
Moderate
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,663
of 2,662 priced counties
F
PlainChildcare Composite Score
16/100
Emporia City, VA

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.

Infant care burden F
Center-based infant care costs 24.2% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden F
Center-based preschool care costs 16.9% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden F
Center-based school-age care costs 16.4% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship D
12% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Affordability desert Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,592 average.

Center-based infant care in Emporia City, VA costs $10,028/year, while family childcare is $8,488/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 24.2% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $7,626/year.

Heavy-burden age costs in Emporia City

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $10,028 $8,488
Toddler $7,626 $7,307
Preschool $7,005 $7,104
School Age $6,795 $6,178

Where Emporia City ranks on infant-care cost

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

$10,028 more affordable than 38% 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

Emporia City vs. every other Virginia county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Virginia counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Virginia median.

Median household income vs Avg. annual infant care 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by Median household income (X) and Avg. annual infant care (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. High income, high costLow income, high costHigh income, low costLow income, low cost $0$50,000$100,000$150,000 $0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Virginia, Emporia City has lower income but higher infant-care cost than the typical Virginia county (its national standing, the 38th 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 Emporia City

Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (24.2% of ACS median, DESERT), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $10,028 $8,488 +$1,540 (+18.1%)
Toddler $7,626 $7,307 +$319 (+4.4%)
Preschool $7,005 $7,104 $-99 (-1.4%)
School Age $6,795 $6,178 +$617 (+10%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $31,454/year versus $29,077/year for family care ($2,377 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.48× school-age center care here. Among the 134Virginia counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Emporia City ranks #70 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Emporia City burden reading

The standout signal in Emporia City, VA is income burden: infant center care takes 24.2% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 5% above the national average.

Heavy-burden tercile counties like Emporia City put infant center care at 24.2% of a $41,442 ACS median, well above the HHS 7% line. Treat subsidy and family-setting trade-offs as first-order, not footnotes.

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.

The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 13 years, from 2009 through 2022.

+90.0% since 2009
Infant center care: $5,278 → $10,028
$10,028/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
13 years
Data available (2009–2022)
2009
$5,278
2010
$5,980
2011
$6,682
2012
$7,384
2013
$7,609
2014
$7,835
2015
$8,060
2016
$8,320
2017
$8,580
2018
$8,840
2019
$9,100
2020
$9,360
2022
$10,028
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 N/A
2009 $5,278
2010 $5,980
2011 $6,682
2012 $7,384
2013 $7,609
2014 $7,835
2015 $8,060
2016 $8,320
2017 $8,580
2018 $8,840
2019 $9,100
2020 $9,360
2021 N/A
2022 $10,028

What to do with Emporia City

Infant center care here runs 24.2% of the local median income (DESERT), check where your own household lands.

  • Emporia City spends 24.2% 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
  • $10,028/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Emporia City 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 Emporia City families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.