County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Mercer County, OH
The standout signal in Mercer County, OH is income burden: infant center care takes 12.3% of median ACS income (HEAVY · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 6% below the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $9,025
- Center Infant/yr
- $8,060
- Family Infant/yr
- $73,278
- Median Income
- 12.3%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Mercer County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a light income burden on families.
- Top 50%
- cheapest nationally
- Light
- income-burden tier
- Moderate
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,326
- 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 Mercer County, OH costs $9,025/year, while family childcare is $8,060/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 12.3% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,320/year.
Annual childcare costs by age in Mercer County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $9,025 | $8,060 |
| Toddler | $8,320 | $7,927 |
| Preschool | $7,384 | $7,331 |
| School Age | $5,200 | $6,246 |
Where Mercer County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$9,025 more affordable than 50% 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 Ohio county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Ohio counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Ohio median.
Within Ohio, Mercer County has higher income but lower infant-care cost than the typical Ohio 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 Mercer County
Every age×setting NDCP cell is reported here (PAR / HEAVY · mid-price), center premium and age-step are county-specific.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $9,025 | $8,060 | +$965 (+12%) |
| Toddler | $8,320 | $7,927 | +$393 (+5%) |
| Preschool | $7,384 | $7,331 | +$53 (+0.7%) |
| School Age | $5,200 | $6,246 | $-1,046 (-16.7%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $29,929/year versus $29,564/year for family care ($365 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.74× school-age center care here. Among the 88Ohio counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Mercer County ranks #19 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Mercer County burden reading
The standout signal in Mercer County, OH is income burden: infant center care takes 12.3% of median ACS income (HEAVY · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 6% below the national average.
Light-burden tercile reading: Mercer County keeps infant center care at 12.3% of a $73,278 median (HEAVY). Sticker still matters (PAR), 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 2009 to 2022, across 14 years of NDCP survey data.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | N/A |
| 2009 | $6,524 |
| 2010 | $6,646 |
| 2011 | $6,768 |
| 2012 | $6,891 |
| 2013 | $6,796 |
| 2014 | $6,702 |
| 2015 | $7,141 |
| 2016 | $7,579 |
| 2017 | $7,531 |
| 2018 | $7,482 |
| 2019 | $7,868 |
| 2020 | $8,253 |
| 2021 | $8,639 |
| 2022 | $9,025 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Ohio
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 12.3% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Mercer County spends 12.3% 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
- $9,025/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.