County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Ottawa County, OK

The standout signal in Ottawa County, OK is income burden: infant center care takes 22.5% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 8% above the national average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$10,396
Center Infant/yr
$7,549
Family Infant/yr
$46,186
Median Income
22.5%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Ottawa County pairs the 34th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.

34th pct.
affordability nationally
Heavy
income-burden tier
Wide
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,764
of 2,661 priced counties
F
PlainChildcare Composite Score
15/100
Ottawa County, OK

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 F
Center-based infant care costs 22.5% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden F
Center-based preschool care costs 19.5% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden D
Center-based school-age care costs 12.7% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship F
15.8% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Affordability desert Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,593 average.

Ottawa County, OK families pay $10,396/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $7,549/year, per the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). This represents 22.5% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,986/year.

Heavy-burden age costs in Ottawa County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $10,396 $7,549
Toddler $8,986 $6,943
Preschool $8,986 $6,943
School Age $5,874 $5,294

Where Ottawa County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$10,396 more affordable than 34% 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

Ottawa County vs. every other Oklahoma county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Oklahoma counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Oklahoma 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 $9,500$10,000$10,500$11,000$11,500$12,000$12,500 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Oklahoma, Ottawa County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Oklahoma county (its national standing, the 34th 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 Ottawa County

Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (22.5% of ACS median, DESERT), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $10,396 $7,549 +$2,847 (+37.7%)
Toddler $8,986 $6,943 +$2,043 (+29.4%)
Preschool $8,986 $6,943 +$2,043 (+29.4%)
School Age $5,874 $5,294 +$580 (+11%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $34,242/year versus $26,729/year for family care ($7,513 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.77× school-age center care here. Among the 77Oklahoma counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Ottawa County ranks #21 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Ottawa County burden reading

The standout signal in Ottawa County, OK is income burden: infant center care takes 22.5% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 8% above the national average.

Heavy-burden tercile counties like Ottawa County put infant center care at 22.5% of a $46,186 ACS median, well above the HHS 7% line. 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.

Here's how center-based infant care priced out from 2008 to 2022, across 15 years of NDCP survey data.

+90.2% since 2008
Infant center care: $5,467 → $10,396
$10,396/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$5,467
2009
$5,824
2010
$6,181
2011
$6,392
2012
$6,603
2013
$6,919
2014
$7,234
2015
$7,286
2016
$7,338
2017
$7,390
2018
$7,991
2019
$8,592
2020
$9,194
2021
$9,795
2022
$10,396
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $5,467
2009 $5,824
2010 $6,181
2011 $6,392
2012 $6,603
2013 $6,919
2014 $7,234
2015 $7,286
2016 $7,338
2017 $7,390
2018 $7,991
2019 $8,592
2020 $9,194
2021 $9,795
2022 $10,396

What to do with Ottawa County

Infant center care here runs 22.5% of the local median income (DESERT), check where your own household lands.

  • Ottawa County spends 22.5% 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
  • $10,396/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Ottawa 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 Ottawa County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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