County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Sterling County, TX
The standout signal in Sterling County, TX is income burden: infant center care takes 9.2% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 39% below the national average.
Data updated 2026-07-05
- $5,876
- Center Infant/yr
- $5,304
- Family Infant/yr
- $63,558
- Median Income
- 9.2%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Sterling County pairs top-10% cheapest infant care nationally with a light income burden on families.
- Top 10%
- cheapest nationally
- Light
- income-burden tier
- Narrow
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #263
- of 2,662 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: $9,592 average.
Quiet-price tercile: center infant care is $5,876/yr with family care at $5,304/yr (9.2% of median income), absolute stickers are low; capacity and waitlists still bind.
Quiet-book age ladder for Sterling County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $5,876 | $5,304 |
| Toddler | $5,512 | $5,044 |
| Preschool | $5,356 | $4,992 |
| School Age | $5,096 | $4,784 |
Where Sterling County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$5,876 Among the most affordable more affordable than 90% of 2,662 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
Sterling County vs. every other Texas county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Texas counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Texas median.
Within Texas, Sterling County has higher income but lower infant-care cost than the typical Texas county (its national standing, top-10% cheapest infant care nationally, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).
Full NDCP Care Ladder in Sterling County
Sterling 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 | $5,876 | $5,304 | +$572 (+10.8%) |
| Toddler | $5,512 | $5,044 | +$468 (+9.3%) |
| Preschool | $5,356 | $4,992 | +$364 (+7.3%) |
| School Age | $5,096 | $4,784 | +$312 (+6.5%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $21,840/year versus $20,124/year for family care ($1,716 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.15× school-age center care here. Among the 254Texas counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Sterling County ranks #11 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Sterling County burden reading
The standout signal in Sterling County, TX is income burden: infant center care takes 9.2% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 39% below the national average.
Light-burden tercile reading: Sterling County keeps infant center care at 9.2% of a $63,558 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 14 years, from 2009 through 2022.
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | N/A |
| 2009 | $5,456 |
| 2010 | $5,468 |
| 2011 | $5,480 |
| 2012 | $5,491 |
| 2013 | $5,946 |
| 2014 | $5,720 |
| 2015 | $5,720 |
| 2016 | $5,975 |
| 2017 | $6,022 |
| 2018 | $6,167 |
| 2019 | $6,299 |
| 2020 | $6,430 |
| 2021 | $6,708 |
| 2022 | $5,876 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Texas
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Sterling County's QUIET NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Sterling County
Infant center care here runs 9.2% of the local median income (OVER7), check where your own household lands.
- Sterling County spends 9.2% 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
- $5,876/yr center infant sticker (QUIET) - see how Sterling 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 Sterling County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.