County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Pratt County, KS
The standout signal in Pratt County, KS is income burden: infant center care takes 8.1% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 48% below the national average.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $4,971
- Center Infant/yr
- $5,117
- Family Infant/yr
- $61,685
- Median Income
- 8.1%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Pratt County pairs top-5% cheapest infant care nationally with a light income burden on families.
- Top 2%
- cheapest nationally
- Light
- income-burden tier
- Narrow
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #65
- 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.
Quiet-price tercile: center infant care is $4,971/yr with family care at $5,117/yr (8.1% of median income), absolute stickers are low; capacity and waitlists still bind.
Quiet-book age ladder for Pratt County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $4,971 | $5,117 |
| Toddler | $5,075 | $4,333 |
| Preschool | $5,075 | $4,333 |
| School Age | $4,285 | $4,333 |
Where Pratt County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$4,971 Among the most affordable more affordable than 97% 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
Pratt 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.
Within Kansas, Pratt County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Kansas county (its national standing, top-5% cheapest infant care nationally, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Pratt County
Pratt County sits in the quieter-price third (QUIET), complete ladders here still show setting trade-offs even when the absolute sticker is low.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $4,971 | $5,117 | $-146 (-2.9%) |
| Toddler | $5,075 | $4,333 | +$742 (+17.1%) |
| Preschool | $5,075 | $4,333 | +$742 (+17.1%) |
| School Age | $4,285 | $4,333 | $-48 (-1.1%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $19,406/year versus $18,116/year for family care ($1,290 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.16× school-age center care here. Among the 105Kansas counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Pratt County ranks #63 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Pratt County burden reading
The standout signal in Pratt County, KS is income burden: infant center care takes 8.1% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 48% below the national average.
Light-burden tercile reading: Pratt County keeps infant center care at 8.1% of a $61,685 median (OVER7). Sticker still matters (QUIET), 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.
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 | $4,805 |
| 2009 | $4,482 |
| 2010 | $4,160 |
| 2011 | $4,285 |
| 2012 | $4,410 |
| 2013 | $4,992 |
| 2014 | $5,169 |
| 2015 | $5,346 |
| 2016 | $5,522 |
| 2017 | $5,699 |
| 2018 | $5,554 |
| 2019 | $5,408 |
| 2020 | $5,262 |
| 2021 | $5,117 |
| 2022 | $4,971 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Kansas
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Pratt County's QUIET NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Pratt County
Infant center care here runs 8.1% of the local median income (OVER7), check where your own household lands.
- Pratt County spends 8.1% 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
- $4,971/yr center infant sticker (QUIET) - see how Pratt 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 Pratt County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.