County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Gunnison County, CO

$14,825 a year for center-based infant care - 19.4% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.

Center-based infant care in Gunnison County, CO costs $14,825/year, while family childcare is $11,224/year, per the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). This represents 19.4% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $13,624/year, and preschool-age care is $8,044/year.

$14,825
Center Infant/yr
$11,224
Family Infant/yr
$76,538
Median Income
19.4%
% of Income (Infant)

NDCP county market brief

Gunnison County, CO sticker posture in this snapshot

Entity-varying stamps from DOL NDCP county medians and ACS income burden, not a clone nationwide scaffold.

  1. STEEP NDCP sticker band
  2. HEAVY HHS income share
  3. #2,409 of 2,662 National infant rank
  4. $14,825 Center infant/yr
  5. $11,224 Family infant/yr
  6. Huerfano County Nearest price peer
  7. 8/8 NDCP cells filled
  8. 2022 Survey vintage

Infant-price neighbourhood

Nearest ABS(center_infant) peers in CO (NDCP 2022).

Gunnison (this)$14,825Huerfano Cou…$14,825La Plata Cou…$14,872Chaffee County$14,724Teller County$14,713Elbert County$14,591

Price-band peers

Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $14,825 $11,224
Toddler $13,624 $10,423
Preschool $8,044 $10,423
School Age $7,591 $4,311

Where Gunnison County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$14,825 more affordable than 9% 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

Full NDCP Care Ladder in Gunnison County

Gunnison County fills every age×setting NDCP cell in the STEEP sticker band - center premiums and the infant-to-school-age drop are readable without a second national strip.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $14,825 $11,224 +$3,601 (+32.1%)
Toddler $13,624 $10,423 +$3,201 (+30.7%)
Preschool $8,044 $10,423 $-2,379 (-22.8%)
School Age $7,591 $4,311 +$3,280 (+76.1%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $44,084/year versus $36,381/year for family care ($7,703 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.95× school-age center care here. Among the 62Colorado counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Gunnison County ranks #39 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

What These Numbers Mean for Gunnison County Families

Gunnison County's median household income of $76,538 sets the bar for what counts as affordable care here, putting infant center care at 19.4% of gross income. Against the federal 7% affordability benchmark, the typical family here exceeds the federal affordability line by 12.4 points.Between 15-20% of income, Gunnison County sits in a high-burden tier where most working families need subsidy help or split shifts to cover care.

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.

3 years of federal survey data (2014–2022) show how center-based infant care has moved.

-5.6% since 2014
Infant center care: $15,699 → $14,825
$14,825/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
3 years
Data available (2014–2022)
2014
$15,699
2015
$15,590
2022
$14,825
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 $15,699
2015 $15,590
2016 N/A
2017 N/A
2018 N/A
2019 N/A
2020 N/A
2021 N/A
2022 $14,825

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.