Childcare costs in Essex County, MA
$24,001 a year for center-based infant care - 25.4% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.
The going rate for center-based infant care in Essex County, MA is $24,001/year, while family childcare is $13,000/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 25.4% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $21,242/year, and preschool-age care is $16,120/year.
- $24,001
- Center Infant/yr
- $13,000
- Family Infant/yr
- $94,378
- Median Income
- 25.4%
- % of Income (Infant)
NDCP county market brief
Essex County, MA sticker posture in this snapshot
Entity-varying stamps from DOL NDCP county medians and ACS income burden, not a clone nationwide scaffold.
- PEAK NDCP sticker band
- DESERT HHS income share
- #2,648 of 2,662 National infant rank
- $24,001 Center infant/yr
- $13,000 Family infant/yr
- Middlesex County Nearest price peer
- 8/8 NDCP cells filled
- 2022 Survey vintage
Infant-price neighbourhood
Nearest ABS(center_infant) peers in MA (NDCP 2022).
Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $24,001 | $13,000 |
| Toddler | $21,242 | $11,960 |
| Preschool | $16,120 | $10,400 |
| School Age | $11,180 | $11,115 |
Where Essex County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$24,001 more affordable than 0% 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 Essex County
Essex County fills every age×setting NDCP cell in the PEAK sticker band - center premiums and the infant-to-school-age drop are readable without a second national strip.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $24,001 | $13,000 | +$11,001 (+84.6%) |
| Toddler | $21,242 | $11,960 | +$9,282 (+77.6%) |
| Preschool | $16,120 | $10,400 | +$5,720 (+55%) |
| School Age | $11,180 | $11,115 | +$65 (+0.6%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $72,543/year versus $46,475/year for family care ($26,068 more at a center). Infant center care runs 2.15× school-age center care here. Among the 14Massachusetts counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Essex County ranks #11 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
What These Numbers Mean for Essex County Families
Weighed against a $94,378 median household income, Essex County's childcare bill tells an affordability story, putting infant center care at 25.4% of gross income. HHS draws the affordability line at 7% of income, and the typical local family exceeds the federal affordability line by 18.4 points.At over 20% of income, Essex 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.
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 | $17,420 |
| 2009 | $17,680 |
| 2010 | $17,940 |
| 2011 | $18,200 |
| 2012 | $18,369 |
| 2013 | $18,538 |
| 2014 | $18,707 |
| 2015 | $18,876 |
| 2016 | $19,500 |
| 2017 | $20,124 |
| 2018 | $20,748 |
| 2019 | $21,561 |
| 2020 | $22,375 |
| 2021 | $23,187 |
| 2022 | $24,001 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Massachusetts
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Essex County's PEAK 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.