County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Tuscaloosa County, AL
The standout signal in Tuscaloosa County, AL is income burden: infant center care takes 11.5% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 26% below the national average.
Data updated 2026-07-05
- $7,094
- Center Infant/yr
- $5,386
- Family Infant/yr
- $61,645
- Median Income
- 11.5%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Tuscaloosa County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a light income burden on families.
- Top 30%
- cheapest nationally
- Light
- income-burden tier
- Moderate
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #793
- 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 $7,094/yr with family care at $5,386/yr (11.5% of median income), absolute stickers are low; capacity and waitlists still bind.
Quiet-book age ladder for Tuscaloosa County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,094 | $5,386 |
| Toddler | $6,888 | $5,386 |
| Preschool | $6,693 | $5,386 |
| School Age | $6,498 | $5,386 |
Where Tuscaloosa County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$7,094 Among the most affordable more affordable than 70% 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
Tuscaloosa County vs. every other Alabama county: income vs. infant-care cost
Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Alabama counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Alabama median.
Within Alabama, Tuscaloosa County has higher income and higher infant-care cost than the typical Alabama 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 Tuscaloosa County
Tuscaloosa County sits in the quieter-price third (MID), complete ladders here still show setting trade-offs even when the absolute sticker is low.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,094 | $5,386 | +$1,708 (+31.7%) |
| Toddler | $6,888 | $5,386 | +$1,502 (+27.9%) |
| Preschool | $6,693 | $5,386 | +$1,307 (+24.3%) |
| School Age | $6,498 | $5,386 | +$1,112 (+20.6%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $27,173/year versus $21,544/year for family care ($5,629 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.09× school-age center care here. Among the 67Alabama counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Tuscaloosa County ranks #52 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Tuscaloosa County burden reading
The standout signal in Tuscaloosa County, AL is income burden: infant center care takes 11.5% of median ACS income (OVER7 · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 26% below the national average.
Light-burden tercile reading: Tuscaloosa County keeps infant center care at 11.5% of a $61,645 median (OVER7). Sticker still matters (MID), 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)
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 | $4,503 |
| 2009 | $4,642 |
| 2010 | $4,780 |
| 2011 | $4,919 |
| 2012 | $5,058 |
| 2013 | $5,197 |
| 2014 | $5,336 |
| 2015 | $5,365 |
| 2016 | $5,393 |
| 2017 | $5,423 |
| 2018 | $5,757 |
| 2019 | $6,091 |
| 2020 | $6,426 |
| 2021 | $6,760 |
| 2022 | $7,094 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Alabama
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Tuscaloosa County's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Tuscaloosa County
Infant center care here runs 11.5% of the local median income (OVER7), check where your own household lands.
- Tuscaloosa County spends 11.5% 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
- $7,094/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.