County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Fulton County, IL
The standout signal in Fulton County, IL is income burden: infant center care takes 16.8% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits in line with the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $9,591
- Center Infant/yr
- $8,233
- Family Infant/yr
- $57,223
- Median Income
- 16.8%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Fulton County pairs the 44th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.
- 44th pct.
- affordability nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Moderate
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,483
- 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.
National sticker context: $9,593 average.
Fulton County, IL families pay $9,591/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $8,233/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 16.8% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,992/year.
Heavy-burden age costs in Fulton County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $9,591 | $8,233 |
| Toddler | $8,992 | $8,233 |
| Preschool | $8,618 | N/A |
| School Age | $2,856 | N/A |
Where Fulton County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$9,591 more affordable than 44% 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
Fulton County vs. every other Illinois county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Illinois counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Illinois median.
Within Illinois, Fulton County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Illinois county (its national standing, the 44th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Fulton County burden reading
The standout signal in Fulton County, IL is income burden: infant center care takes 16.8% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits in line with the national average.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Fulton County put infant center care at 16.8% of a $57,223 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.
Historical Price Trends (2008–2022)
15 years of federal survey data (2008–2022) show how center-based infant care has moved.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $7,054 |
| 2009 | $7,371 |
| 2010 | $7,688 |
| 2011 | $7,874 |
| 2012 | $8,060 |
| 2013 | $8,320 |
| 2014 | $8,580 |
| 2015 | $8,649 |
| 2016 | $8,718 |
| 2017 | $8,718 |
| 2018 | $8,718 |
| 2019 | $8,936 |
| 2020 | $9,155 |
| 2021 | $9,373 |
| 2022 | $9,591 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Illinois
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Fulton County's PAR NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Fulton County
Infant center care here runs 16.8% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Fulton County spends 16.8% 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
- $9,591/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Fulton 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 Fulton County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.