County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Marlboro County, SC
The standout signal in Marlboro County, SC is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $-182/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $5,856 center sticker.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $5,856
- Center Infant/yr
- $6,038
- Family Infant/yr
- $34,275
- Median Income
- 17.1%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Marlboro County pairs top-10% cheapest infant care nationally with a heavy income burden on families.
- Top 9%
- cheapest nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Narrow
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #251
- 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.
Quiet-price tercile: center infant care is $5,856/yr with family care at $6,038/yr (17.1% of median income), absolute stickers are low; capacity and waitlists still bind.
Quiet-book age ladder for Marlboro County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $5,856 | $6,038 |
| Toddler | $5,856 | $6,038 |
| Preschool | $5,080 | $6,558 |
| School Age | $6,814 | $7,251 |
Where Marlboro County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$5,856 Among the most affordable more affordable than 91% 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
Marlboro County vs. every other South Carolina county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 South Carolina counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the South Carolina median.
Within South Carolina, Marlboro County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical South Carolina county (its national standing, top-10% cheapest infant care nationally, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Marlboro County
Marlboro County sits in the quieter-price third (QUIET), complete ladders here still show setting trade-offs even when the absolute sticker is low.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $5,856 | $6,038 | $-182 (-3%) |
| Toddler | $5,856 | $6,038 | $-182 (-3%) |
| Preschool | $5,080 | $6,558 | $-1,478 (-22.5%) |
| School Age | $6,814 | $7,251 | $-437 (-6%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $23,606/year versus $25,885/year for family care ($2,279 less at a center). Infant center care runs 0.86× school-age center care here. Among the 46South Carolina counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Marlboro County ranks #15 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Marlboro County premium reading
The standout signal in Marlboro County, SC is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $-182/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $5,856 center sticker.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Marlboro County put infant center care at 17.1% of a $34,275 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)
9 years of federal survey data (2014–2022) show how center-based infant care has moved.
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 | $6,825 |
| 2015 | $7,150 |
| 2016 | $7,475 |
| 2017 | $7,800 |
| 2018 | $7,152 |
| 2019 | $6,504 |
| 2020 | $5,856 |
| 2021 | $5,208 |
| 2022 | $5,856 |
Nearest infant-price counties in South Carolina
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Marlboro County's QUIET NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Marlboro County
Infant center care here runs 17.1% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Marlboro County spends 17.1% 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
- $5,856/yr center infant sticker (QUIET) - see how Marlboro 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 Marlboro County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.