County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Pottawatomie County, KS

The standout signal in Pottawatomie County, KS is income burden: infant center care takes 9.6% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 15% below the national average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$8,181
Center Infant/yr
$6,254
Family Infant/yr
$85,241
Median Income
9.6%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Pottawatomie County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a light income burden on families.

Top 42%
cheapest nationally
Light
income-burden tier
Moderate
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,125
of 2,661 priced counties
A
PlainChildcare Composite Score
87/100
Pottawatomie County, KS

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 A
Center-based infant care costs 9.6% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden A
Center-based preschool care costs 8.4% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden A
Center-based school-age care costs 5.2% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship B
6% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,593 average.

Pottawatomie County, KS families pay $8,181/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $6,254/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 9.6% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $7,696/year.

Annual childcare costs by age in Pottawatomie County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $8,181 $6,254
Toddler $7,696 $5,096
Preschool $7,155 $5,096
School Age $4,410 $5,096

Where Pottawatomie County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$8,181 more affordable than 58% 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

Pottawatomie County vs. every other Kansas county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Kansas counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Kansas 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 $4,000$6,000$8,000$10,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Kansas, Pottawatomie County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Kansas county (its national standing, below-national-median infant care costs, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).

Full NDCP Care Ladder in Pottawatomie County

Every age×setting NDCP cell is reported here (MID / OVER7 · mid-price), center premium and age-step are county-specific.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $8,181 $6,254 +$1,927 (+30.8%)
Toddler $7,696 $5,096 +$2,600 (+51%)
Preschool $7,155 $5,096 +$2,059 (+40.4%)
School Age $4,410 $5,096 $-686 (-13.5%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $27,442/year versus $21,542/year for family care ($5,900 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.86× school-age center care here. Among the 105Kansas counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Pottawatomie County ranks #89 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Pottawatomie County burden reading

The standout signal in Pottawatomie County, KS is income burden: infant center care takes 9.6% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 15% below the national average.

Light-burden tercile reading: Pottawatomie County keeps infant center care at 9.6% of a $85,241 median (OVER7). Sticker still matters (MID), but income share is not the binding constraint versus waitlists and licensed capacity.

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.

+70.3% since 2008
Infant center care: $4,805 → $8,181
$8,181/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$4,805
2009
$4,482
2010
$4,160
2011
$4,285
2012
$4,410
2013
$4,992
2014
$5,720
2015
$6,448
2016
$7,176
2017
$7,904
2018
$7,960
2019
$8,015
2020
$8,070
2021
$8,126
2022
$8,181
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $4,805
2009 $4,482
2010 $4,160
2011 $4,285
2012 $4,410
2013 $4,992
2014 $5,720
2015 $6,448
2016 $7,176
2017 $7,904
2018 $7,960
2019 $8,015
2020 $8,070
2021 $8,126
2022 $8,181

What to do with Pottawatomie County

Infant center care here runs 9.6% of the local median income (OVER7), check where your own household lands.

  • Pottawatomie County spends 9.6% 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
  • $8,181/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Pottawatomie 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 Pottawatomie County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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