County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Wakulla County, FL

The standout signal in Wakulla County, FL is income burden: infant center care takes 12.5% of median ACS income (HEAVY · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 6% below the national average.

Data updated 2026-09-24

$9,006
Center Infant/yr
N/A
Family Infant/yr
$72,035
Median Income
12.5%
% of Income (Infant)

The verdict

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

Top 49%
cheapest nationally
Light
income-burden tier
#1,305
of 2,661 priced counties
A
PlainChildcare Composite Score
81/100
Wakulla County, FL

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 B
Center-based infant care costs 12.5% of median household income here (national median 14.6%)
Preschool care burden A
Center-based preschool care costs 9.1% of median household income here (national median 12.5%)
School-age care burden B
Center-based school-age care costs 7.3% of median household income here (national median 10.4%)
Economic hardship A
5.3% poverty rate here (national median 9.3%)
Price-change feed

National sticker context: $9,593 average.

Center-based infant care in Wakulla County, FL costs $9,006/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 12.5% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $6,846/year.

Annual childcare costs by age in Wakulla County

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $9,006 N/A
Toddler $6,846 N/A
Preschool $6,544 N/A
School Age $5,223 N/A

Where Wakulla County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$9,006 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

Wakulla County vs. every other Florida county: income vs. infant-care cost

Median household income (x) vs. average center-based infant care (y) across 30 Florida counties with reported prices. Crosshairs at the Florida 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 $30,000$40,000$50,000$60,000$70,000$80,000$90,000 $6,000$8,000$10,000$12,000$14,000 Median household income Avg. annual infant care

Within Florida, Wakulla County has higher income but lower infant-care cost than the typical Florida county (its national standing, below-national-median infant care costs, is a separate comparison against every U.S. county, not just its own state).

Wakulla County burden reading

The standout signal in Wakulla County, FL is income burden: infant center care takes 12.5% of median ACS income (HEAVY · light-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 6% below the national average.

Light-burden tercile reading: Wakulla County keeps infant center care at 12.5% of a $72,035 median (HEAVY). Sticker still matters (PAR), 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.

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

+85.3% since 2008
Infant center care: $4,859 → $9,006
$9,006/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$4,859
2009
$4,989
2010
$5,408
2011
$5,827
2012
$6,246
2013
$6,665
2014
$6,785
2015
$6,905
2016
$7,184
2017
$7,464
2018
$7,743
2019
$8,022
2020
$8,301
2021
$8,580
2022
$9,006
View full data table (all care types) ▼
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $4,859
2009 $4,989
2010 $5,408
2011 $5,827
2012 $6,246
2013 $6,665
2014 $6,785
2015 $6,905
2016 $7,184
2017 $7,464
2018 $7,743
2019 $8,022
2020 $8,301
2021 $8,580
2022 $9,006

What to do with Wakulla County

Infant center care here runs 12.5% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.

  • Wakulla County spends 12.5% 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
  • $9,006/yr center infant sticker (PAR) - see how Wakulla 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 Wakulla County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility

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