County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Hardee County, FL
The standout signal in Hardee County, FL is income burden: infant center care takes 17.5% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 19% below the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $7,800
- Center Infant/yr
- N/A
- Family Infant/yr
- $44,665
- Median Income
- 17.5%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Hardee County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a heavy income burden on families.
- Top 37%
- cheapest nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- #983
- 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.
The going rate for center-based infant care in Hardee County, FL is $7,800/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 17.5% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $6,760/year.
Heavy-burden age costs in Hardee County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,800 | N/A |
| Toddler | $6,760 | N/A |
| Preschool | $6,240 | N/A |
| School Age | $5,200 | N/A |
Where Hardee County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$7,800 Among the most affordable more affordable than 63% 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
Hardee County vs. every other Florida county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Florida counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Florida median.
Within Florida, Hardee County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Florida county (its national standing, below-national-median infant care costs, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Hardee County burden reading
The standout signal in Hardee County, FL is income burden: infant center care takes 17.5% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 19% below the national average.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Hardee County put infant center care at 17.5% of a $44,665 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 | $5,531 |
| 2009 | $5,639 |
| 2010 | $5,855 |
| 2011 | $6,069 |
| 2012 | $6,285 |
| 2013 | $6,500 |
| 2014 | $6,104 |
| 2015 | $5,708 |
| 2016 | $6,057 |
| 2017 | $6,405 |
| 2018 | $6,754 |
| 2019 | $7,103 |
| 2020 | $7,452 |
| 2021 | $7,800 |
| 2022 | $7,800 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Florida
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Hardee County's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Hardee County
Infant center care here runs 17.5% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Hardee County spends 17.5% 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
- $7,800/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Hardee 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 Hardee County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.