County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Rapides Parish, LA
The standout signal in Rapides Parish, LA is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $920/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $8,147 center sticker.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $8,147
- Center Infant/yr
- $7,227
- Family Infant/yr
- $55,407
- Median Income
- 14.7%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Rapides Parish pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a moderate income burden on families.
- Top 42%
- cheapest nationally
- Moderate
- income-burden tier
- Narrow
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,110
- 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.
Rapides Parish, LA families pay $8,147/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $7,227/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 14.7% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $7,887/year.
Annual childcare costs by age in Rapides Parish
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8,147 | $7,227 |
| Toddler | $7,887 | $7,227 |
| Preschool | $7,627 | $7,280 |
| School Age | $6,933 | $6,240 |
Where Rapides Parish ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$8,147 more affordable than 58% 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
Rapides Parish vs. every other Louisiana county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Louisiana counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Louisiana median.
Within Louisiana, Rapides Parish has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Louisiana 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 Rapides Parish
Every age×setting NDCP cell is reported here (MID / HEAVY · mid-price), center premium and age-step are county-specific.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8,147 | $7,227 | +$920 (+12.7%) |
| Toddler | $7,887 | $7,227 | +$660 (+9.1%) |
| Preschool | $7,627 | $7,280 | +$347 (+4.8%) |
| School Age | $6,933 | $6,240 | +$693 (+11.1%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $30,594/year versus $27,974/year for family care ($2,620 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.18× school-age center care here. Among the 64Louisiana counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Rapides Parish ranks #52 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Rapides Parish premium reading
The standout signal in Rapides Parish, LA is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $920/yr more than family care (narrow premium tercile) beside a $8,147 center sticker.
Mid-burden tercile: Rapides Parish spends 14.7% of a $55,407 median on infant center care (HEAVY). Pair the MID sticker with the age-group table before treating any single cell as the household story.
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 | $4,801 |
| 2009 | $4,922 |
| 2010 | $5,096 |
| 2011 | $5,148 |
| 2012 | $5,200 |
| 2013 | $5,460 |
| 2014 | $5,720 |
| 2015 | $6,023 |
| 2016 | $6,327 |
| 2017 | $6,630 |
| 2018 | $6,933 |
| 2019 | $7,237 |
| 2020 | $7,540 |
| 2021 | $7,843 |
| 2022 | $8,147 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Louisiana
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Rapides Parish's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Rapides Parish
Infant center care here runs 14.7% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Rapides Parish spends 14.7% 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
- $8,147/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Rapides Parish 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 Rapides Parish families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.