County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Louisa County, IA
The standout signal in Louisa County, IA is income burden: infant center care takes 11.6% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 13% below the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $8,388
- Center Infant/yr
- $5,511
- Family Infant/yr
- $72,500
- Median Income
- 11.6%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Louisa County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a light income burden on families.
- Top 45%
- cheapest nationally
- Light
- income-burden tier
- Wide
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,189
- 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 Louisa County, IA costs $8,388/year, while family childcare is $5,511/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 11.6% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $7,227/year.
Annual childcare costs by age in Louisa County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8,388 | $5,511 |
| Toddler | $7,227 | $5,420 |
| Preschool | $7,227 | $5,420 |
| School Age | $5,782 | $5,240 |
Where Louisa County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$8,388 more affordable than 55% 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
Louisa County vs. every other Iowa county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Iowa counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Iowa median.
Within Iowa, Louisa County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Iowa county (its national standing, below-national-median infant care costs, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Louisa County
Every age×setting NDCP cell is reported here (MID / OVER7 · mid-price), center premium and age-step are county-specific.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8,388 | $5,511 | +$2,877 (+52.2%) |
| Toddler | $7,227 | $5,420 | +$1,807 (+33.3%) |
| Preschool | $7,227 | $5,420 | +$1,807 (+33.3%) |
| School Age | $5,782 | $5,240 | +$542 (+10.3%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $28,624/year versus $21,591/year for family care ($7,033 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.45× school-age center care here. Among the 99Iowa counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Louisa County ranks #66 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Louisa County burden reading
The standout signal in Louisa County, IA is income burden: infant center care takes 11.6% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 13% below the national average.
Light-burden tercile reading: Louisa County keeps infant center care at 11.6% of a $72,500 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.
Historical Price Trends (2008–2022)
Center-based infant care costs over 2016–2022 (7 years of NDCP data).
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 | N/A |
| 2015 | N/A |
| 2016 | $7,678 |
| 2017 | $7,796 |
| 2018 | $7,914 |
| 2019 | $8,033 |
| 2020 | $8,151 |
| 2021 | $8,270 |
| 2022 | $8,388 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Iowa
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Louisa County's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Louisa County
Infant center care here runs 11.6% of the local median income (OVER7), check where your own household lands.
- Louisa County spends 11.6% 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
- $8,388/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Louisa 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 Louisa County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.