County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Upshur County, WV

The standout signal in Upshur County, WV is income burden: infant center care takes 18.1% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 6% below the national average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$9,010
Center Infant/yr
$8,261
Family Infant/yr
$49,663
Median Income
18.1%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Upshur County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a heavy income burden on families.

Top 49%
cheapest nationally
Heavy
income-burden tier
Narrow
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,306
of 2,661 priced counties
F
PlainChildcare Composite Score
17/100
Upshur County, WV

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 18.1% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden F
Center-based preschool care costs 17.7% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden F
Center-based school-age care costs 15.9% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship D
14.3% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,593 average.

Center-based infant care in Upshur County, WV costs $9,010/year, while family childcare is $8,261/year, per the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). This represents 18.1% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,562/year.

Heavy-burden age costs in Upshur County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $9,010 $8,261
Toddler $8,562 $7,056
Preschool $8,806 $7,056
School Age $7,890 $7,056

Where Upshur County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$9,010 more affordable than 51% 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

Upshur County vs. every other West Virginia county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 West Virginia counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the West Virginia 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 $20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000 $7,000$8,000$9,000$10,000$11,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within West Virginia, Upshur County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical West Virginia 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 Upshur County

Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (18.1% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $9,010 $8,261 +$749 (+9.1%)
Toddler $8,562 $7,056 +$1,506 (+21.3%)
Preschool $8,806 $7,056 +$1,750 (+24.8%)
School Age $7,890 $7,056 +$834 (+11.8%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $34,268/year versus $29,429/year for family care ($4,839 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.14× school-age center care here. Among the 55West Virginia counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Upshur County ranks #27 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Upshur County burden reading

The standout signal in Upshur County, WV is income burden: infant center care takes 18.1% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 6% below the national average.

Heavy-burden tercile counties like Upshur County put infant center care at 18.1% of a $49,663 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.

15 years of federal survey data (2008–2022) show how center-based infant care has moved.

+53.2% since 2008
Infant center care: $5,881 → $9,010
$9,010/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$5,881
2009
$5,818
2010
$5,755
2011
$5,692
2012
$6,592
2013
$6,570
2014
$6,549
2015
$6,528
2016
$6,692
2017
$6,857
2018
$7,022
2019
$7,519
2020
$8,016
2021
$8,513
2022
$9,010
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $5,881
2009 $5,818
2010 $5,755
2011 $5,692
2012 $6,592
2013 $6,570
2014 $6,549
2015 $6,528
2016 $6,692
2017 $6,857
2018 $7,022
2019 $7,519
2020 $8,016
2021 $8,513
2022 $9,010

What to do with Upshur County

Infant center care here runs 18.1% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • Upshur County spends 18.1% 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
  • $9,010/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Upshur 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 Upshur County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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