County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Harrisonburg City, VA
The standout signal in Harrisonburg City, VA is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $-507/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $9,751 center sticker.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $9,751
- Center Infant/yr
- $10,258
- Family Infant/yr
- $56,050
- Median Income
- 17.4%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Harrisonburg City pairs the 39th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.
- 39th pct.
- affordability nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Narrow
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,615
- 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.
Center-based infant care in Harrisonburg City, VA costs $9,751/year, while family childcare is $10,258/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 17.4% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $7,985/year.
Heavy-burden age costs in Harrisonburg City
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $9,751 | $10,258 |
| Toddler | $7,985 | $8,537 |
| Preschool | $7,336 | $8,300 |
| School Age | $6,056 | $7,707 |
Where Harrisonburg City ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$9,751 more affordable than 39% 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
Harrisonburg City vs. every other Virginia county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Virginia counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Virginia median.
Within Virginia, Harrisonburg City has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Virginia county (its national standing, the 39th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Harrisonburg City
Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (17.4% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $9,751 | $10,258 | $-507 (-4.9%) |
| Toddler | $7,985 | $8,537 | $-552 (-6.5%) |
| Preschool | $7,336 | $8,300 | $-964 (-11.6%) |
| School Age | $6,056 | $7,707 | $-1,651 (-21.4%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $31,128/year versus $34,802/year for family care ($3,674 less at a center). Infant center care runs 1.61× school-age center care here. Among the 134Virginia counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Harrisonburg City ranks #59 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Harrisonburg City premium reading
The standout signal in Harrisonburg City, VA is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $-507/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $9,751 center sticker.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Harrisonburg City put infant center care at 17.4% of a $56,050 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)
Here's how center-based infant care priced out from 2009 to 2022, across 13 years of NDCP survey data.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | N/A |
| 2009 | $8,216 |
| 2010 | $8,164 |
| 2011 | $8,112 |
| 2012 | $8,060 |
| 2013 | $8,147 |
| 2014 | $8,233 |
| 2015 | $8,320 |
| 2016 | $8,493 |
| 2017 | $8,667 |
| 2018 | $8,840 |
| 2019 | $9,013 |
| 2020 | $9,187 |
| 2021 | N/A |
| 2022 | $9,751 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Virginia
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Harrisonburg City's PAR NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Harrisonburg City
Infant center care here runs 17.4% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Harrisonburg City spends 17.4% 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
- $9,751/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Harrisonburg City 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 Harrisonburg City families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.