County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Jefferson County, OK

The standout signal in Jefferson County, OK is income burden: infant center care takes 20.9% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 5% above the national average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$10,119
Center Infant/yr
$7,351
Family Infant/yr
$48,346
Median Income
20.9%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Jefferson County pairs the 37th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.

37th pct.
affordability nationally
Heavy
income-burden tier
Wide
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,680
of 2,661 priced counties
F
PlainChildcare Composite Score
17/100
Jefferson County, OK

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.

Infant care burden F
Center-based infant care costs 20.9% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden F
Center-based preschool care costs 18.1% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden D
Center-based school-age care costs 11.8% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship F
16.3% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Affordability desert Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,593 average.

Center-based infant care in Jefferson County, OK costs $10,119/year, while family childcare is $7,351/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 20.9% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,741/year.

Heavy-burden age costs in Jefferson County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $10,119 $7,351
Toddler $8,741 $6,768
Preschool $8,741 $6,768
School Age $5,714 $5,159

Where Jefferson County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$10,119 more affordable than 37% of 2,661 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

Jefferson County vs. every other Oklahoma county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Oklahoma counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Oklahoma median.

Median household income vs Avg. annual infant care 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by Median household income (X) and Avg. annual infant care (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. High income, high costLow income, high costHigh income, low costLow income, low cost $40,000$50,000$60,000$70,000$80,000$90,000 $9,500$10,000$10,500$11,000$11,500$12,000$12,500 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Oklahoma, Jefferson County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Oklahoma county (its national standing, the 37th 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 Jefferson County

Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (20.9% of ACS median, DESERT), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $10,119 $7,351 +$2,768 (+37.7%)
Toddler $8,741 $6,768 +$1,973 (+29.2%)
Preschool $8,741 $6,768 +$1,973 (+29.2%)
School Age $5,714 $5,159 +$555 (+10.8%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $33,315/year versus $26,046/year for family care ($7,269 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.77× school-age center care here. Among the 77Oklahoma counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Jefferson County ranks #7 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Jefferson County burden reading

The standout signal in Jefferson County, OK is income burden: infant center care takes 20.9% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 5% above the national average.

Heavy-burden tercile counties like Jefferson County put infant center care at 20.9% of a $48,346 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.

Center-based infant care costs over 2008–2022 (15 years of NDCP data).

+109.9% since 2008
Infant center care: $4,822 → $10,119
$10,119/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$4,822
2009
$5,138
2010
$5,453
2011
$5,583
2012
$5,712
2013
$5,946
2014
$6,180
2015
$6,225
2016
$6,270
2017
$6,315
2018
$7,076
2019
$7,836
2020
$8,597
2021
$9,358
2022
$10,119
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $4,822
2009 $5,138
2010 $5,453
2011 $5,583
2012 $5,712
2013 $5,946
2014 $6,180
2015 $6,225
2016 $6,270
2017 $6,315
2018 $7,076
2019 $7,836
2020 $8,597
2021 $9,358
2022 $10,119

What to do with Jefferson County

Infant center care here runs 20.9% of the local median income (DESERT), check where your own household lands.

  • Jefferson County spends 20.9% 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
  • $10,119/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Jefferson 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 Jefferson County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.