County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Navajo County, AZ
The standout signal in Navajo County, AZ is income burden: infant center care takes 23.2% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 22% above the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $11,700
- Center Infant/yr
- $9,100
- Family Infant/yr
- $50,335
- Median Income
- 23.2%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Navajo County pairs the 20th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.
- 20th pct.
- affordability nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Moderate
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #2,132
- 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.
Steep-price tercile: family infant care here is $9,100/yr beside the $11,700 center sticker; toddler center care is $9,100/yr.
Steep-book age ladder for Navajo County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $11,700 | $9,100 |
| Toddler | $9,100 | $7,800 |
| Preschool | $9,100 | $7,800 |
| School Age | $8,580 | $7,800 |
Where Navajo County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$11,700 more affordable than 20% 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
Navajo County vs. every other Arizona county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 15 Arizona counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Arizona median.
Within Arizona, Navajo County has lower income but higher infant-care cost than the typical Arizona county (its national standing, the 20th 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 Navajo County
Navajo County sits in the steep-price third of NDCP-priced counties (HIGH), read center premiums and the infant-to-school-age drop as county-specific, not a clone caption.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $11,700 | $9,100 | +$2,600 (+28.6%) |
| Toddler | $9,100 | $7,800 | +$1,300 (+16.7%) |
| Preschool | $9,100 | $7,800 | +$1,300 (+16.7%) |
| School Age | $8,580 | $7,800 | +$780 (+10%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $38,480/year versus $32,500/year for family care ($5,980 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.36× school-age center care here. Among the 15Arizona counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Navajo County ranks #12 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Navajo County burden reading
The standout signal in Navajo County, AZ is income burden: infant center care takes 23.2% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 22% above the national average.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Navajo County put infant center care at 23.2% of a $50,335 ACS median, well above the HHS 7% line and already in the steep sticker third of the national book. 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 | $7,540 |
| 2009 | $7,670 |
| 2010 | $7,800 |
| 2011 | $7,800 |
| 2012 | $7,800 |
| 2013 | $8,060 |
| 2014 | $8,320 |
| 2015 | $8,580 |
| 2016 | $8,840 |
| 2017 | $9,100 |
| 2018 | $9,360 |
| 2019 | $9,945 |
| 2020 | $10,530 |
| 2021 | $11,115 |
| 2022 | $11,700 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Arizona
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Navajo County's HIGH NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Navajo County
Infant center care here runs 23.2% of the local median income (DESERT), check where your own household lands.
- Navajo County spends 23.2% 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
- $11,700/yr center infant sticker (HIGH) - see how Navajo 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 Navajo County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.