County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Montgomery County, VA

The standout signal in Montgomery County, VA is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $3,113/yr more than family care (wide premium tercile) beside a $9,653 center sticker.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$9,653
Center Infant/yr
$6,540
Family Infant/yr
$65,270
Median Income
14.8%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Montgomery County pairs the 43rd percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a moderate income burden on families.

43rd pct.
affordability nationally
Moderate
income-burden tier
Wide
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,518
of 2,661 priced counties
C
PlainChildcare Composite Score
44/100
Montgomery County, VA

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 C
Center-based infant care costs 14.8% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden D
Center-based preschool care costs 13.5% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden D
Center-based school-age care costs 13.1% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship C
8.3% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,593 average.

Center-based infant care in Montgomery County, VA costs $9,653/year, while family childcare is $6,540/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 14.8% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,840/year.

Annual childcare costs by age in Montgomery County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $9,653 $6,540
Toddler $8,840 $5,720
Preschool $8,840 $5,720
School Age $8,580 $7,429

Where Montgomery County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$9,653 more affordable than 43% 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

Montgomery County vs. every other Virginia county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Virginia counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Virginia 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 $0$50,000$100,000$150,000 $0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Virginia, Montgomery County has higher income but lower infant-care cost than the typical Virginia county (its national standing, the 43rd 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 Montgomery 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 $9,653 $6,540 +$3,113 (+47.6%)
Toddler $8,840 $5,720 +$3,120 (+54.5%)
Preschool $8,840 $5,720 +$3,120 (+54.5%)
School Age $8,580 $7,429 +$1,151 (+15.5%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $35,913/year versus $25,409/year for family care ($10,504 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.13× school-age center care here. Among the 134Virginia counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Montgomery County ranks #58 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Montgomery County premium reading

The standout signal in Montgomery County, VA is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $3,113/yr more than family care (wide premium tercile) beside a $9,653 center sticker.

Mid-burden tercile: Montgomery County spends 14.8% of a $65,270 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.

Here's how center-based infant care priced out from 2009 to 2022, across 13 years of NDCP survey data.

+34.5% since 2009
Infant center care: $7,176 → $9,653
$9,653/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
13 years
Data available (2009–2022)
2009
$7,176
2010
$7,384
2011
$7,592
2012
$7,800
2013
$7,973
2014
$8,147
2015
$8,320
2016
$8,667
2017
$9,013
2018
$9,360
2019
$9,707
2020
$10,053
2022
$9,653
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 N/A
2009 $7,176
2010 $7,384
2011 $7,592
2012 $7,800
2013 $7,973
2014 $8,147
2015 $8,320
2016 $8,667
2017 $9,013
2018 $9,360
2019 $9,707
2020 $10,053
2021 N/A
2022 $9,653

What to do with Montgomery County

Infant center care here runs 14.8% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • Montgomery County spends 14.8% 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
  • $9,653/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Montgomery 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 Montgomery County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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