County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Wallowa County, OR

$10,260 a year for center-based infant care - 16.5% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.

Wallowa County, OR families pay $10,260/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $9,000/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 16.5% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $9,420/year, and preschool-age care is $7,800/year.

$10,260
Center Infant/yr
$9,000
Family Infant/yr
$62,238
Median Income
16.5%
% of Income (Infant)

NDCP county market brief

Wallowa County, OR sticker posture in this snapshot

Entity-varying stamps from DOL NDCP county medians and ACS income burden, not a clone nationwide scaffold.

  1. PAR NDCP sticker band
  2. HEAVY HHS income share
  3. #1,722 of 2,662 National infant rank
  4. $10,260 Center infant/yr
  5. $9,000 Family infant/yr
  6. Baker County Nearest price peer
  7. 8/8 NDCP cells filled
  8. 2022 Survey vintage

Infant-price neighbourhood

Nearest ABS(center_infant) peers in OR (NDCP 2022).

Wallowa (this)$10,260Baker County$10,260Crook County$10,260Curry County$10,260Gilliam County$10,260Grant County$10,260

Price-band peers

Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $10,260 $9,000
Toddler $9,420 $8,630
Preschool $7,800 $8,104
School Age $3,240 $7,504

Where Wallowa County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$10,260 more affordable than 35% 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

Full NDCP Care Ladder in Wallowa County

Complete NDCP ladder under a HEAVY income burden (16.5% of ACS median) - compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $10,260 $9,000 +$1,260 (+14%)
Toddler $9,420 $8,630 +$790 (+9.2%)
Preschool $7,800 $8,104 $-304 (-3.8%)
School Age $3,240 $7,504 $-4,264 (-56.8%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $30,720/year versus $33,238/year for family care ($2,518 less at a center). Infant center care runs 3.17× school-age center care here. Among the 36Oregon counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Wallowa County ranks #17 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

What These Numbers Mean for Wallowa County Families

Wallowa County's median household income of $62,238 sets the bar for what counts as affordable care here, putting infant center care at 16.5% of gross income. Against the federal 7% affordability benchmark, the typical family here exceeds the federal affordability line by 9.5 points.Between 15-20% of income, Wallowa County sits in a high-burden tier where most working families need subsidy help or split shifts to cover care.

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.

+87.9% since 2008
Infant center care: $5,460 → $10,260
$10,260/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$5,460
2009
$5,910
2010
$6,360
2011
$6,420
2012
$6,480
2013
$6,840
2014
$7,200
2015
$7,500
2016
$7,800
2017
$8,070
2018
$8,340
2019
$9,270
2020
$10,200
2021
$10,230
2022
$10,260
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $5,460
2009 $5,910
2010 $6,360
2011 $6,420
2012 $6,480
2013 $6,840
2014 $7,200
2015 $7,500
2016 $7,800
2017 $8,070
2018 $8,340
2019 $9,270
2020 $10,200
2021 $10,230
2022 $10,260

PlainChildcare is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices and Census ACS income data, no number is typed in by an editor. County childcare prices and affordability ratios are computed from NDCP and ACS records for this county. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026. Primary sources: DOL Women's Bureau NDCP and U.S. Census Bureau ACS.