County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Pocahontas County, WV

The standout signal in Pocahontas County, WV is income burden: infant center care takes 22.2% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 3% below the national average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$9,268
Center Infant/yr
$8,104
Family Infant/yr
$41,680
Median Income
22.2%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Pocahontas County pairs the 47th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.

47th pct.
affordability nationally
Heavy
income-burden tier
Moderate
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,402
of 2,661 priced counties
F
PlainChildcare Composite Score
13/100
Pocahontas County, WV

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 22.2% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden F
Center-based preschool care costs 21.6% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden F
Center-based school-age care costs 19.4% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship D
13.8% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Affordability desert Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,593 average.

Center-based infant care in Pocahontas County, WV costs $9,268/year, while family childcare is $8,104/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 22.2% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,803/year.

Heavy-burden age costs in Pocahontas County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $9,268 $8,104
Toddler $8,803 $6,849
Preschool $9,018 $6,849
School Age $8,104 $6,849

Where Pocahontas County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$9,268 more affordable than 47% 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

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

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 West Virginia counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the West 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 $20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000 $7,000$8,000$9,000$10,000$11,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within West Virginia, Pocahontas County has lower income but higher infant-care cost than the typical West Virginia county (its national standing, the 47th 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 Pocahontas County

Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (22.2% of ACS median, DESERT), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $9,268 $8,104 +$1,164 (+14.4%)
Toddler $8,803 $6,849 +$1,954 (+28.5%)
Preschool $9,018 $6,849 +$2,169 (+31.7%)
School Age $8,104 $6,849 +$1,255 (+18.3%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $35,193/year versus $28,651/year for family care ($6,542 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.14× school-age center care here. Among the 55West Virginia counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Pocahontas County ranks #35 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Pocahontas County burden reading

The standout signal in Pocahontas County, WV is income burden: infant center care takes 22.2% of median ACS income (DESERT · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 3% below the national average.

Heavy-burden tercile counties like Pocahontas County put infant center care at 22.2% of a $41,680 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.

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

+70.4% since 2008
Infant center care: $5,439 → $9,268
$9,268/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$5,439
2009
$5,471
2010
$5,503
2011
$5,535
2012
$6,459
2013
$6,397
2014
$6,335
2015
$6,273
2016
$6,420
2017
$6,567
2018
$6,714
2019
$7,353
2020
$7,991
2021
$8,630
2022
$9,268
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $5,439
2009 $5,471
2010 $5,503
2011 $5,535
2012 $6,459
2013 $6,397
2014 $6,335
2015 $6,273
2016 $6,420
2017 $6,567
2018 $6,714
2019 $7,353
2020 $7,991
2021 $8,630
2022 $9,268

What to do with Pocahontas County

Infant center care here runs 22.2% of the local median income (DESERT), check where your own household lands.

  • Pocahontas County spends 22.2% 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
  • $9,268/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Pocahontas 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 Pocahontas County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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