County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Midland County, MI

The standout signal in Midland County, MI is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $-3,257/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $6,892 center sticker.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$6,892
Center Infant/yr
$10,149
Family Infant/yr
$73,643
Median Income
9.4%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Midland County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a light income burden on families.

Top 27%
cheapest nationally
Light
income-burden tier
Narrow
family-vs-infant price gap
#717
of 2,661 priced counties
B
PlainChildcare Composite Score
70/100
Midland County, MI

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.

Infant care burden A
Center-based infant care costs 9.4% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden B
Center-based preschool care costs 10.4% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden C
Center-based school-age care costs 10.9% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship B
8% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,593 average.

Quiet-price tercile: center infant care is $6,892/yr with family care at $10,149/yr (9.4% of median income), absolute stickers are low; capacity and waitlists still bind.

Quiet-book age ladder for Midland County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $6,892 $10,149
Toddler $7,652 $10,149
Preschool $7,652 $9,925
School Age $8,007 $9,467

Where Midland County ranks on infant-care cost

Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices

$6,892 Among the most affordable more affordable than 73% of 2,661 US counties

This county $2,500 $32,500 every U.S. county, bucketed by value

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

Midland County vs. every other Michigan county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Michigan counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Michigan median.

Median household income vs Avg. annual infant care 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by Median household income (X) and Avg. annual infant care (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. High income, high costLow income, high costHigh income, low costLow income, low cost $40,000$50,000$60,000$70,000$80,000$90,000 $5,000$6,000$7,000$8,000$9,000$10,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Michigan, Midland County has higher income but lower infant-care cost than the typical Michigan 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 Midland County

Midland 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 $6,892 $10,149 $-3,257 (-32.1%)
Toddler $7,652 $10,149 $-2,497 (-24.6%)
Preschool $7,652 $9,925 $-2,273 (-22.9%)
School Age $8,007 $9,467 $-1,460 (-15.4%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $30,203/year versus $39,690/year for family care ($9,487 less at a center). Infant center care runs 0.86× school-age center care here. Among the 83Michigan counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Midland County ranks #28 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Midland County premium reading

The standout signal in Midland County, MI is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $-3,257/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $6,892 center sticker.

Light-burden tercile reading: Midland County keeps infant center care at 9.4% of a $73,643 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.

15 years of federal survey data (2008–2022) show how center-based infant care has moved.

-11.7% since 2008
Infant center care: $7,801 → $6,892
$6,892/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$7,801
2009
$7,022
2010
$7,548
2011
$8,075
2012
$8,413
2013
$8,751
2014
$8,874
2015
$8,997
2016
$9,248
2017
$9,498
2018
$9,748
2019
$9,034
2020
$8,320
2021
$7,606
2022
$6,892
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $7,801
2009 $7,022
2010 $7,548
2011 $8,075
2012 $8,413
2013 $8,751
2014 $8,874
2015 $8,997
2016 $9,248
2017 $9,498
2018 $9,748
2019 $9,034
2020 $8,320
2021 $7,606
2022 $6,892

What to do with Midland County

Infant center care here runs 9.4% of the local median income (OVER7), check where your own household lands.

  • Midland County spends 9.4% 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
  • $6,892/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Midland 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 Midland County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.