County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Seward County, KS
The standout signal in Seward County, KS is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $2,870/yr more than family care (wide premium tercile) beside a $9,651 center sticker.
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $9,651
- Center Infant/yr
- $6,781
- Family Infant/yr
- $57,131
- Median Income
- 16.9%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Seward County pairs the 43rd percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a heavy income burden on families.
- 43rd pct.
- affordability nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Wide
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #1,516
- 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.
Seward County, KS families pay $9,651/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $6,781/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 16.9% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,611/year.
Heavy-burden age costs in Seward County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $9,651 | $6,781 |
| Toddler | $8,611 | $5,651 |
| Preschool | $7,502 | $5,651 |
| School Age | $4,285 | $5,651 |
Where Seward County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$9,651 more affordable than 43% 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
Seward 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, Seward County has lower income but higher infant-care cost than the typical Kansas county (its national standing, the 43rd 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 Seward County
Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (16.9% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $9,651 | $6,781 | +$2,870 (+42.3%) |
| Toddler | $8,611 | $5,651 | +$2,960 (+52.4%) |
| Preschool | $7,502 | $5,651 | +$1,851 (+32.8%) |
| School Age | $4,285 | $5,651 | $-1,366 (-24.2%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $30,049/year versus $23,734/year for family care ($6,315 more at a center). Infant center care runs 2.25× school-age center care here. Among the 105Kansas counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Seward County ranks #103 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Seward County premium reading
The standout signal in Seward County, KS is the center–family premium: center infant care costs $2,870/yr more than family care (wide premium tercile) beside a $9,651 center sticker.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Seward County put infant center care at 16.9% of a $57,131 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.
Historical Price Trends (2008–2022)
15 years of federal survey data (2008–2022) show how center-based infant care has moved.
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 | $6,490 |
| 2019 | $7,280 |
| 2020 | $8,070 |
| 2021 | $8,861 |
| 2022 | $9,651 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Kansas
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Seward County's PAR NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Seward County
Infant center care here runs 16.9% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Seward County spends 16.9% 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
- $9,651/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Seward 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 Seward County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.