County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Price County, WI

The standout signal in Price County, WI is income burden: infant center care takes 17.0% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 1% below the national average.

Data updated 2026-07-05

$9,464
Center Infant/yr
$7,800
Family Infant/yr
$55,822
Median Income
17.0%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Price County pairs the 46th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.

46th pct.
affordability nationally
Heavy
income-burden tier
Moderate
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,446
of 2,662 priced counties
D
PlainChildcare Composite Score
32/100
Price County, WI

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 D
Center-based infant care costs 17% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden F
Center-based preschool care costs 15.8% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden F
Center-based school-age care costs 14.3% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship C
8.7% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,592 average.

Center-based infant care in Price County, WI costs $9,464/year, while family childcare is $7,800/year, per the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). This represents 17.0% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,840/year.

Heavy-burden age costs in Price County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $9,464 $7,800
Toddler $8,840 $7,410
Preschool $8,840 $7,410
School Age $7,956 $7,020

Where Price County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$9,464 more affordable than 45% of 2,662 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

Price County vs. every other Wisconsin county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Wisconsin counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Wisconsin 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 $50,000$60,000$70,000$80,000$90,000 $8,000$10,000$12,000$14,000$16,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Wisconsin, Price County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Wisconsin county (its national standing, the 46th 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 Price County

Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (17.0% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $9,464 $7,800 +$1,664 (+21.3%)
Toddler $8,840 $7,410 +$1,430 (+19.3%)
Preschool $8,840 $7,410 +$1,430 (+19.3%)
School Age $7,956 $7,020 +$936 (+13.3%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $35,100/year versus $29,640/year for family care ($5,460 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.19× school-age center care here. Among the 72Wisconsin counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Price County ranks #17 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Price County burden reading

The standout signal in Price County, WI is income burden: infant center care takes 17.0% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 1% below the national average.

Heavy-burden tercile counties like Price County put infant center care at 17.0% of a $55,822 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.

The NDCP has tracked center-based infant care here for 15 years, from 2008 through 2022.

+40.0% since 2008
Infant center care: $6,760 → $9,464
$9,464/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$6,760
2009
$6,240
2010
$8,580
2011
$5,928
2012
$9,100
2013
$8,450
2014
$7,800
2015
$7,800
2016
$8,060
2017
$8,320
2018
$9,256
2019
$9,308
2020
$9,360
2021
$9,412
2022
$9,464
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $6,760
2009 $6,240
2010 $8,580
2011 $5,928
2012 $9,100
2013 $8,450
2014 $7,800
2015 $7,800
2016 $8,060
2017 $8,320
2018 $9,256
2019 $9,308
2020 $9,360
2021 $9,412
2022 $9,464

What to do with Price County

Infant center care here runs 17.0% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • Price County spends 17.0% 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
  • $9,464/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Price 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 Price County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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