County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in McLean County, KY
The standout signal in McLean County, KY is income burden: infant center care takes 11.5% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 23% below the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $7,388
- Center Infant/yr
- $6,402
- Family Infant/yr
- $64,020
- Median Income
- 11.5%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
McLean County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a light income burden on families.
- Top 31%
- cheapest nationally
- Light
- income-burden tier
- Moderate
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #821
- 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 $7,388/yr with family care at $6,402/yr (11.5% of median income), absolute stickers are low; capacity and waitlists still bind.
Quiet-book age ladder for McLean County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,388 | $6,402 |
| Toddler | $6,989 | $5,462 |
| Preschool | $6,989 | $5,462 |
| School Age | $6,789 | $5,462 |
Where McLean County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$7,388 Among the most affordable more affordable than 69% 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
McLean County vs. every other Kentucky county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Kentucky counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Kentucky median.
Within Kentucky, McLean County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Kentucky 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 McLean County
McLean County sits in the quieter-price third (MID), complete ladders here still show setting trade-offs even when the absolute sticker is low.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,388 | $6,402 | +$986 (+15.4%) |
| Toddler | $6,989 | $5,462 | +$1,527 (+28%) |
| Preschool | $6,989 | $5,462 | +$1,527 (+28%) |
| School Age | $6,789 | $5,462 | +$1,327 (+24.3%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $28,155/year versus $22,788/year for family care ($5,367 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.09× school-age center care here. Among the 120Kentucky counties with a complete NDCP ladder, McLean County ranks #77 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
McLean County burden reading
The standout signal in McLean County, KY is income burden: infant center care takes 11.5% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 23% below the national average.
Light-burden tercile reading: McLean County keeps infant center care at 11.5% of a $64,020 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)
Here's how center-based infant care priced out from 2008 to 2022, across 15 years of NDCP survey data.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $4,481 |
| 2009 | $4,705 |
| 2010 | $4,929 |
| 2011 | $5,153 |
| 2012 | $5,377 |
| 2013 | $5,601 |
| 2014 | $5,531 |
| 2015 | $5,460 |
| 2016 | $5,590 |
| 2017 | $5,720 |
| 2018 | $6,054 |
| 2019 | $6,387 |
| 2020 | $6,721 |
| 2021 | $7,055 |
| 2022 | $7,388 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Kentucky
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to McLean County's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with McLean County
Infant center care here runs 11.5% of the local median income (OVER7), check where your own household lands.
- McLean County spends 11.5% 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
- $7,388/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how McLean 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 McLean County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.