County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Monroe County, FL

The standout signal in Monroe County, FL is sticker price: center infant care runs $10,400/yr (PAR · mid-price tercile · #1,772 of 2,661), 8% above the U.S. average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$10,400
Center Infant/yr
$7,800
Family Infant/yr
$80,111
Median Income
13.0%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Monroe County pairs the 33rd percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a moderate income burden on families.

33rd pct.
affordability nationally
Moderate
income-burden tier
Moderate
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,772
of 2,661 priced counties
B
PlainChildcare Composite Score
62/100
Monroe County, FL

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 B
Center-based infant care costs 13% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden B
Center-based preschool care costs 11.4% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden C
Center-based school-age care costs 11.4% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship B
6.9% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

Monroe County, FL families pay $10,400/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $7,800/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 13.0% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $9,360/year.

Annual childcare costs by age in Monroe County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $10,400 $7,800
Toddler $9,360 $7,800
Preschool $9,100 $7,800
School Age $9,100 $7,800

Where Monroe County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$10,400 more affordable than 33% 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

Monroe County vs. every other Florida county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Florida counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Florida 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 $30,000$40,000$50,000$60,000$70,000$80,000$90,000 $6,000$8,000$10,000$12,000$14,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Florida, Monroe County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Florida county (its national standing, the 33rd 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 Monroe 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 $10,400 $7,800 +$2,600 (+33.3%)
Toddler $9,360 $7,800 +$1,560 (+20%)
Preschool $9,100 $7,800 +$1,300 (+16.7%)
School Age $9,100 $7,800 +$1,300 (+16.7%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $37,960/year versus $31,200/year for family care ($6,760 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.14× school-age center care here. Among the 35Florida counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Monroe County ranks #14 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Monroe County sticker reading

The standout signal in Monroe County, FL is sticker price: center infant care runs $10,400/yr (PAR · mid-price tercile · #1,772 of 2,661), 8% above the U.S. average.

Mid-burden tercile: Monroe County spends 13.0% of a $80,111 median on infant center care (HEAVY). Pair the PAR sticker with the age-group table before treating any single cell as the household story.

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.

The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 15 years, from 2008 through 2022.

+66.5% since 2008
Infant center care: $6,246 → $10,400
$10,400/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$6,246
2009
$6,794
2010
$7,013
2011
$7,232
2012
$7,451
2013
$7,670
2014
$7,735
2015
$7,800
2016
$8,060
2017
$8,320
2018
$8,580
2019
$8,840
2020
$9,100
2021
$9,360
2022
$10,400
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $6,246
2009 $6,794
2010 $7,013
2011 $7,232
2012 $7,451
2013 $7,670
2014 $7,735
2015 $7,800
2016 $8,060
2017 $8,320
2018 $8,580
2019 $8,840
2020 $9,100
2021 $9,360
2022 $10,400

What to do with Monroe County

Infant center care here runs 13.0% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • Monroe County spends 13.0% 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
  • $10,400/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Monroe 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 Monroe County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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