County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Wilcox County, AL
The standout signal in Wilcox County, AL is income burden: infant center care takes 19.7% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 21% below the national average.
Data updated 2026-07-05
- $7,532
- Center Infant/yr
- $7,050
- Family Infant/yr
- $38,208
- Median Income
- 19.7%
- % of Income (Infant)
The verdict
Wilcox County pairs below-national-median infant care costs with a heavy income burden on families.
- Top 33%
- cheapest nationally
- Heavy
- income-burden tier
- Narrow
- family-vs-infant price gap
- #889
- 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.
Wilcox County, AL families pay $7,532/year for center-based infant care, while family childcare is $7,050/year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. This represents 19.7% of the median household income, exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $7,171/year.
Heavy-burden age costs in Wilcox County
| Age Group | Center-Based | Family Childcare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,532 | $7,050 |
| Toddler | $7,171 | $6,736 |
| Preschool | $6,456 | $6,736 |
| School Age | $5,862 | $6,097 |
Where Wilcox County ranks on infant-care cost
Center-based infant care, every U.S. county with reported prices
$7,532 Among the most affordable more affordable than 67% 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
Wilcox 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, Wilcox County has lower income but 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 Wilcox County
Complete NDCP ladder under a heavy-burden tercile (19.7% of ACS median, HEAVY), compare center premiums before treating sticker alone as the story.
| Age | Center | Family | Center premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $7,532 | $7,050 | +$482 (+6.8%) |
| Toddler | $7,171 | $6,736 | +$435 (+6.5%) |
| Preschool | $6,456 | $6,736 | $-280 (-4.2%) |
| School Age | $5,862 | $6,097 | $-235 (-3.9%) |
Across all four ages, a center path totals $27,021/year versus $26,619/year for family care ($402 more at a center). Infant center care runs 1.28× school-age center care here. Among the 67Alabama counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Wilcox County ranks #56 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).
Wilcox County burden reading
The standout signal in Wilcox County, AL is income burden: infant center care takes 19.7% of median ACS income (HEAVY · heavy-burden tercile), while the sticker sits 21% below the national average.
Heavy-burden tercile counties like Wilcox County put infant center care at 19.7% of a $38,208 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.
Historical Price Trends (2008–2022)
Center-based infant care costs over 2008–2022 (15 years of NDCP data).
View full data table (all care types) ▼
| Year | Ctr Infant |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $5,637 |
| 2009 | $5,646 |
| 2010 | $5,655 |
| 2011 | $5,664 |
| 2012 | $5,673 |
| 2013 | $5,682 |
| 2014 | $5,691 |
| 2015 | $5,885 |
| 2016 | $6,079 |
| 2017 | $6,273 |
| 2018 | $6,525 |
| 2019 | $6,777 |
| 2020 | $7,028 |
| 2021 | $7,280 |
| 2022 | $7,532 |
Nearest infant-price counties in Alabama
Ordered by ABS(center_infant) to Wilcox County's MID NDCP sticker - not A-Z chrome.
What to do with Wilcox County
Infant center care here runs 19.7% of the local median income (HEAVY), check where your own household lands.
- Wilcox County spends 19.7% 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
- $7,532/yr center infant sticker (MID) - see how Wilcox 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 Wilcox County families are likely eligible. Check subsidy eligibility
Figures are NDCP county-level survey medians for 2022 - your local providers set the actual price.