County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Sawyer County, WI

The standout signal in Sawyer County, WI is income burden: infant center care takes 16.5% of median ACS income (HEAVY · mid-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
$57,519
Median Income
16.5%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

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

46th pct.
affordability nationally
Moderate
income-burden tier
Moderate
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,448
of 2,662 priced counties
D
PlainChildcare Composite Score
31/100
Sawyer 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 16.5% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden D
Center-based preschool care costs 15.4% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden F
Center-based school-age care costs 13.8% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship C
10% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,592 average.

Center-based infant care in Sawyer County, WI costs $9,464/year, while family childcare is $7,800/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 16.5% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,840/year.

Annual childcare costs by age in Sawyer 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 Sawyer 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

Sawyer 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, Sawyer 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 Sawyer County

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

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, Sawyer County ranks #19 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Sawyer County burden reading

The standout signal in Sawyer County, WI is income burden: infant center care takes 16.5% of median ACS income (HEAVY · mid-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 1% below the national average.

Mid-burden tercile: Sawyer County spends 16.5% of a $57,519 median on infant center care (HEAVY). Pair the PAR 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.

Center-based infant care costs over 2008–2022 (15 years of NDCP data).

+34.8% since 2008
Infant center care: $7,020 → $9,464
$9,464/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$7,020
2009
$7,020
2010
$7,540
2011
$7,688
2012
$7,020
2013
$7,280
2014
$7,540
2015
$7,540
2016
$7,800
2017
$8,060
2018
$8,580
2019
$8,801
2020
$9,022
2021
$9,243
2022
$9,464
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $7,020
2009 $7,020
2010 $7,540
2011 $7,688
2012 $7,020
2013 $7,280
2014 $7,540
2015 $7,540
2016 $7,800
2017 $8,060
2018 $8,580
2019 $8,801
2020 $9,022
2021 $9,243
2022 $9,464

What to do with Sawyer County

Infant center care here runs 16.5% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • Sawyer County spends 16.5% 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 Sawyer 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 Sawyer County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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