County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Vernon County, WI

The standout signal in Vernon County, WI is sticker price: center infant care runs $9,464/yr (PAR · mid-price tercile · #1,452 of 2,662), 1% below the U.S. average.

Data updated 2026-07-05

$9,464
Center Infant/yr
$7,800
Family Infant/yr
$65,177
Median Income
14.5%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

Vernon County pairs the 45th percentile for infant-care affordability nationally with a moderate income burden on families.

45th pct.
affordability nationally
Moderate
income-burden tier
Moderate
family-vs-infant price gap
#1,452
of 2,662 priced counties
C
PlainChildcare Composite Score
47/100
Vernon County, WI

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 C
Center-based infant care costs 14.5% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden D
Center-based preschool care costs 13.6% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden D
Center-based school-age care costs 12.2% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship B
8% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

Vernon County, WI families pay $9,464/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $7,800/year, per the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). This represents 14.5% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $8,840/year.

Annual childcare costs by age in Vernon County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $9,464 $7,800
Toddler $8,840 $7,410
Preschool $8,840 $7,410
School Age $7,956 $7,020

Where Vernon County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$9,464 more affordable than 45% of 2,662 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

Vernon County vs. every other Wisconsin county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Wisconsin counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Wisconsin 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 $50,000$60,000$70,000$80,000$90,000 $8,000$10,000$12,000$14,000$16,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Wisconsin, Vernon County has lower income and lower infant-care cost than the typical Wisconsin county (its national standing, the 45th 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 Vernon County

Every age×setting NDCP cell is reported here (PAR / HEAVY · mid-price), center premium and age-step are county-specific.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $9,464 $7,800 +$1,664 (+21.3%)
Toddler $8,840 $7,410 +$1,430 (+19.3%)
Preschool $8,840 $7,410 +$1,430 (+19.3%)
School Age $7,956 $7,020 +$936 (+13.3%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $35,100/year versus $29,640/year for family care ($5,460 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.19× school-age center care here. Among the 72Wisconsin counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Vernon County ranks #23 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

Vernon County sticker reading

The standout signal in Vernon County, WI is sticker price: center infant care runs $9,464/yr (PAR · mid-price tercile · #1,452 of 2,662), 1% below the U.S. average.

Mid-burden tercile: Vernon County spends 14.5% of a $65,177 median on infant center care (HEAVY). Pair the PAR 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.

Center-based infant care costs over 2008–2022 (15 years of NDCP data).

+34.8% since 2008
Infant center care: $7,020 → $9,464
$9,464/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$7,020
2009
$8,424
2010
$7,540
2011
$7,688
2012
$8,216
2013
$8,398
2014
$8,580
2015
$8,580
2016
$9,360
2017
$10,140
2018
$9,204
2019
$9,269
2020
$9,334
2021
$9,399
2022
$9,464
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $7,020
2009 $8,424
2010 $7,540
2011 $7,688
2012 $8,216
2013 $8,398
2014 $8,580
2015 $8,580
2016 $9,360
2017 $10,140
2018 $9,204
2019 $9,269
2020 $9,334
2021 $9,399
2022 $9,464

What to do with Vernon County

Infant center care here runs 14.5% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • Vernon County spends 14.5% 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
  • $9,464/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Vernon 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 Vernon County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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