County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Mercer County, KY
The standout signal in Mercer County, KY is income burden: infant center care takes 16.7% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 6% above the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $10,126
- Center Infant/yr
- $7,765
- Family Infant/yr
- $60,728
- Median Income
- 16.7%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Mercer 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
- Moderate
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,681
- 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.
The going rate for center-based infant care in Mercer County, KY is $10,126/year, while family childcare is $7,765/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 16.7% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,666/year.
Heavy-burden age costs in Mercer County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $10,126 | $7,765 |
| Toddler | $8,666 | $8,018 |
| Preschool | $8,666 | $8,018 |
| School Age | $7,551 | $6,620 |
Where Mercer County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$10,126 more affordable than 37% 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
Mercer 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, Mercer County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Kentucky 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 Mercer County
Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (16.7% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $10,126 | $7,765 | +$2,361 (+30.4%) |
| Toddler | $8,666 | $8,018 | +$648 (+8.1%) |
| Preschool | $8,666 | $8,018 | +$648 (+8.1%) |
| School Age | $7,551 | $6,620 | +$931 (+14.1%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $35,009/year versus $30,421/year for family care ($4,588 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.34× school-age center care here. Among the 120Kentucky counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Mercer County ranks #103 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Mercer County burden reading
The standout signal in Mercer County, KY is income burden: infant center care takes 16.7% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 6% above the national average.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Mercer County put infant center care at 16.7% of a $60,728 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)
The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 15 years, from 2008 through 2022.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $5,683 |
| 2009 | $6,073 |
| 2010 | $6,464 |
| 2011 | $6,854 |
| 2012 | $6,680 |
| 2013 | $6,507 |
| 2014 | $6,504 |
| 2015 | $6,500 |
| 2016 | $6,500 |
| 2017 | $6,500 |
| 2018 | $7,225 |
| 2019 | $7,950 |
| 2020 | $8,676 |
| 2021 | $9,401 |
| 2022 | $10,126 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Kentucky
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Mercer County's PAR NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Mercer County
Infant center care here runs 16.7% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Mercer County spends 16.7% 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
- $10,126/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Mercer 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 Mercer County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.