County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Tolland County, CT

The standout signal in Tolland County, CT is sticker price: center infant care runs $15,080/yr (STEEP · steep-price tercile · #2,433 of 2,661), 57% above the U.S. average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$15,080
Center Infant/yr
$10,400
Family Infant/yr
$93,447
Median Income
16.1%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Tolland County pairs the 9th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a moderate income burden on families.

9th pct.
affordability nationally
Moderate
income-burden tier
Wide
family-vs-infant price gap
#2,433
of 2,661 priced counties
B
PlainChildcare Composite Score
62/100
Tolland County, CT

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 16.1% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden C
Center-based preschool care costs 13.1% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden A
Center-based school-age care costs 6.4% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship A
4.9% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

Steep-price tercile: family infant care here is $10,400/yr beside the $15,080 center sticker; toddler center care is $15,080/yr.

Steep-book age ladder for Tolland County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $15,080 $10,400
Toddler $15,080 $10,400
Preschool $12,220 $10,400
School Age $5,980 $4,680

Where Tolland County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$15,080 more affordable than 9% of 2,661 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

Tolland County vs. every other Connecticut county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 8 Connecticut counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Connecticut median.

Median household income vs Avg. annual infant care 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 8 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 $70,000$80,000$90,000$100,000$110,000 $14,000$16,000$18,000$20,000$22,000$24,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care Fairfield CountyHartford CountyLitchfield CountyMiddlesex CountyNew Haven CountyNew London CountyWindham CountyTolland County

Within Connecticut, Tolland County has higher income but lower infant-care cost than the typical Connecticut county (its national standing, the 9th 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 Tolland County

Tolland County sits in the steep-price third of NDCP-priced counties (STEEP), read center premiums and the infant-to-school-age drop as county-specific, not a clone caption.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $15,080 $10,400 +$4,680 (+45%)
Toddler $15,080 $10,400 +$4,680 (+45%)
Preschool $12,220 $10,400 +$1,820 (+17.5%)
School Age $5,980 $4,680 +$1,300 (+27.8%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $48,360/year versus $35,880/year for family care ($12,480 more at a center). Infant center care runs 2.52× school-age center care here. Among the 8Connecticut counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Tolland County ranks #2 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Tolland County sticker reading

The standout signal in Tolland County, CT is sticker price: center infant care runs $15,080/yr (STEEP · steep-price tercile · #2,433 of 2,661), 57% above the U.S. average.

Mid-burden tercile: Tolland County spends 16.1% of a $93,447 median on infant center care (HEAVY). Pair the STEEP 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.

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

+30.3% since 2008
Infant center care: $11,570 → $15,080
$15,080/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$11,570
2009
$11,700
2010
$11,830
2011
$11,960
2012
$12,714
2013
$13,468
2014
$14,222
2015
$14,976
2016
$15,305
2017
$15,635
2018
$15,964
2019
$15,743
2020
$15,522
2021
$15,301
2022
$15,080
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $11,570
2009 $11,700
2010 $11,830
2011 $11,960
2012 $12,714
2013 $13,468
2014 $14,222
2015 $14,976
2016 $15,305
2017 $15,635
2018 $15,964
2019 $15,743
2020 $15,522
2021 $15,301
2022 $15,080

What to do with Tolland County

Infant center care here runs 16.1% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • Tolland County spends 16.1% 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
  • $15,080/yr center infant sticker (STEEP) - see how Tolland 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 Tolland County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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