County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Lamar County, MS

The standout signal in Lamar County, MS is income burden: infant center care takes 11.2% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 21% below the national average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$7,583
Center Infant/yr
N/A
Family Infant/yr
$67,972
Median Income
11.2%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Lamar County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a light income burden on families.

Top 34%
cheapest nationally
Light
income-burden tier
#901
of 2,661 priced counties
B
PlainChildcare Composite Score
69/100
Lamar County, MS

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 A
Center-based infant care costs 11.2% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden A
Center-based preschool care costs 9.5% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden B
Center-based school-age care costs 7.7% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship D
12.1% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,593 average.

Center-based infant care in Lamar County, MS costs $7,583/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 11.2% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $7,075/year.

Annual childcare costs by age in Lamar County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $7,583 N/A
Toddler $7,075 N/A
Preschool $6,451 N/A
School Age $5,260 N/A

Where Lamar County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$7,583 Among the most affordable more affordable than 66% 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

Lamar County vs. every other Mississippi county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Mississippi counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Mississippi 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 $0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000 $5,500$6,000$6,500$7,000$7,500$8,000$8,500 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Mississippi, Lamar County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Mississippi county (its national standing, below-national-median infant care costs, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).

Lamar County burden reading

The standout signal in Lamar County, MS is income burden: infant center care takes 11.2% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 21% below the national average.

Light-burden tercile reading: Lamar County keeps infant center care at 11.2% of a $67,972 median (OVER7). 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.

13 years of federal survey data (2010–2022) show how center-based infant care has moved.

+64.5% since 2010
Infant center care: $4,610 → $7,583
$7,583/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
13 years
Data available (2010–2022)
2010
$4,610
2011
$5,209
2012
$5,933
2013
$6,657
2014
$6,359
2015
$6,061
2016
$5,763
2017
$6,066
2018
$6,370
2019
$6,673
2020
$6,977
2021
$7,280
2022
$7,583
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 N/A
2009 N/A
2010 $4,610
2011 $5,209
2012 $5,933
2013 $6,657
2014 $6,359
2015 $6,061
2016 $5,763
2017 $6,066
2018 $6,370
2019 $6,673
2020 $6,977
2021 $7,280
2022 $7,583

What to do with Lamar County

Infant center care here runs 11.2% of the local median income (OVER7), check where your own household lands.

  • Lamar County spends 11.2% 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
  • $7,583/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Lamar 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 Lamar County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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