County childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022

Childcare costs in Winnebago County, IL

Affordability desert

$14,647 a year for center-based infant care - 23.7% of the local median income, against a national average of $9,592.

The going rate for center-based infant care in Winnebago County, IL is $14,647/year, while family childcare is $8,357/year, based on National Database of Childcare Prices survey data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This represents 23.7% of the median household income - exceeding the HHS 7% affordability threshold. Toddler care at a center costs $11,180/year, and preschool-age care is $9,596/year.

$14,647
Center Infant/yr
$8,357
Family Infant/yr
$61,738
Median Income
23.7%
% of Income (Infant)

NDCP county market brief

Winnebago County, IL sticker posture in this snapshot

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

  1. STEEP NDCP sticker band
  2. DESERT HHS income share
  3. #2,395 of 2,662 National infant rank
  4. $14,647 Center infant/yr
  5. $8,357 Family infant/yr
  6. Rock Island County Nearest price peer
  7. 8/8 NDCP cells filled
  8. 2022 Survey vintage

Infant-price neighbourhood

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

Winnebago (this)$14,647Rock Island …$14,647Tazewell Cou…$14,577Peoria County$14,487Cook County$14,473Kendall County$14,868

Price-band peers

Annual Childcare Costs by Age Group

Age Group Center-Based Family Childcare
Infant $14,647 $8,357
Toddler $11,180 $8,897
Preschool $9,596 $8,060
School Age $2,244 $2,114

Where Winnebago County ranks on infant-care cost

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

$14,647 more affordable than 10% 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 Winnebago County

Winnebago County fills every age×setting NDCP cell in the STEEP sticker band - center premiums and the infant-to-school-age drop are readable without a second national strip.

Age Center Family Center premium
Infant $14,647 $8,357 +$6,290 (+75.3%)
Toddler $11,180 $8,897 +$2,283 (+25.7%)
Preschool $9,596 $8,060 +$1,536 (+19.1%)
School Age $2,244 $2,114 +$130 (+6.1%)

Across all four ages, a center path totals $37,667/year versus $27,428/year for family care ($10,239 more at a center). Infant center care runs 6.53× school-age center care here. Among the 36Illinois counties with a complete NDCP ladder, Winnebago County ranks #25 by infant center price (1 = cheapest).

What These Numbers Mean for Winnebago County Families

Weighed against a $61,738 median household income, Winnebago County's childcare bill tells an affordability story, putting infant center care at 23.7% of gross income. The HHS benchmark is 7%, meaning the typical family here exceeds the federal affordability line by 16.7 points.At over 20% of income, Winnebago County qualifies as an affordability desert, counties where childcare competes with housing and healthcare for household budget share.

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.

+47.5% since 2008
Infant center care: $9,932 → $14,647
$14,647/yr
Most recent annual cost (2022)
15 years
Data available (2008–2022)
2008
$9,932
2009
$10,363
2010
$10,793
2011
$11,247
2012
$11,700
2013
$11,894
2014
$12,087
2015
$12,089
2016
$12,090
2017
$12,155
2018
$12,220
2019
$12,827
2020
$13,433
2021
$14,040
2022
$14,647
View full data table (all care types)
Year Ctr Infant
2008 $9,932
2009 $10,363
2010 $10,793
2011 $11,247
2012 $11,700
2013 $11,894
2014 $12,087
2015 $12,089
2016 $12,090
2017 $12,155
2018 $12,220
2019 $12,827
2020 $13,433
2021 $14,040
2022 $14,647

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.