County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Gratiot County, MI
The standout signal in Gratiot County, MI is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $-263/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $7,371 center sticker.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $7,371
- Center Infant/yr
- $7,634
- Family Infant/yr
- $57,934
- Median Income
- 12.7%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Gratiot County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a light income burden on families.
- Top 31%
- cheapest nationally
- Light
- income-burden tier
- Narrow
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #813
- 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.
Quiet-price tercile: center infant care is $7,371/yr with family care at $7,634/yr (12.7% of median income), absolute stickers are low; capacity and waitlists still bind.
Quiet-book age ladder for Gratiot County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,371 | $7,634 |
| Toddler | $7,371 | $7,634 |
| Preschool | $6,944 | $6,926 |
| School Age | $6,229 | $7,411 |
Where Gratiot County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$7,371 Among the most affordable more affordable than 69% 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
Gratiot County vs. every other Michigan county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Michigan counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Michigan median.
Within Michigan, Gratiot County has lower income but higher infant-care cost than the typical Michigan county (its national standing, below-national-median infant care costs, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Gratiot County
Gratiot County sits in the quieter-price third (MID), complete ladders here still show setting trade-offs even when the absolute sticker is low.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,371 | $7,634 | $-263 (-3.4%) |
| Toddler | $7,371 | $7,634 | $-263 (-3.4%) |
| Preschool | $6,944 | $6,926 | +$18 (+0.3%) |
| School Age | $6,229 | $7,411 | $-1,182 (-15.9%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $27,915/year versus $29,605/year for family care ($1,690 less at a center). Infant center care runs 1.18× school-age center care here. Among the 83Michigan counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Gratiot County ranks #47 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Gratiot County premium reading
The standout signal in Gratiot County, MI is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $-263/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $7,371 center sticker.
Light-burden tercile reading: Gratiot County keeps infant center care at 12.7% of a $57,934 median (HEAVY). Sticker still matters (MID), 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)
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 | $6,807 |
| 2009 | $5,813 |
| 2010 | $6,160 |
| 2011 | $6,507 |
| 2012 | $6,640 |
| 2013 | $6,772 |
| 2014 | $6,866 |
| 2015 | $6,960 |
| 2016 | $7,272 |
| 2017 | $7,584 |
| 2018 | $7,896 |
| 2019 | $7,765 |
| 2020 | $7,634 |
| 2021 | $7,503 |
| 2022 | $7,371 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Michigan
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Gratiot County's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Gratiot County
Infant center care here runs 12.7% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Gratiot County spends 12.7% 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
- $7,371/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Gratiot 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 Gratiot County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.