Methodology & Data Sources

Data Source

All childcare cost data comes from the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). The NDCP compiles childcare pricing data at the county level from state childcare market rate surveys, covering center-based and family-based care for multiple age groups.

Source URL: dol.gov (Women's Bureau NDCP)

Coverage

PlainChildcare tracks all 3,224 counties across the United States, but the underlying state market rate surveys do not price every county: 2,662 counties have reported center-based infant care pricing, while the remaining 562 have no reported price in the NDCP survey (their county pages show state-level context instead of an invented estimate). Among priced counties, not all have data for every age group or care type.

How We Process the Data

  1. Download the NDCP county-level childcare price dataset from the Department of Labor
  2. Parse median annual costs by age group (infant, toddler, preschool, school-age) and care type (center-based, family-based)
  3. Join with Census Bureau median household income data for affordability calculations
  4. Calculate affordability ratios: childcare cost as a percentage of county median household income
  5. Aggregate to state level (average, minimum, and maximum across counties)
  6. Load into our search-optimized database

Affordability Calculations

Affordability ratios compare annual childcare costs against county median household income from the Census Bureau American Community Survey. A ratio above 7% of household income is commonly used as the federal affordability threshold for childcare. We calculate this metric for each county-age-care-type combination and flag high-cost areas. Infant care is typically the most expensive category due to lower caregiver-to-child ratios required by state licensing regulations, while school-age care is generally the least expensive because older children require less intensive supervision.

Age Groups & Care Types

The NDCP covers four age groups:

  • Infant - Under 1 year
  • Toddler - Ages 1–2
  • Preschool - Ages 3–5
  • School-age - Ages 6+

And two care settings: center-based (licensed childcare centers and preschools) and family-based (licensed family childcare homes).

Limitations

  • Prices shown are median annual costs from state market rate surveys, may not reflect current market prices
  • Actual costs vary by provider, quality rating, and specific location within a county
  • Not all counties have data for all age groups and care types
  • Data vintage varies by state, surveys are conducted on different schedules, meaning some state data may be several years older than others
  • The 7 percent federal affordability threshold is a general guideline, actual affordable limits depend on family circumstances, household size, and local cost of living factors beyond childcare alone

How the Source Agency Collects Data

The National Database of Childcare Prices is compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau from state-level childcare market rate surveys. Each state conducts market rate surveys periodically (typically every 2-3 years) as required by the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act. These surveys collect pricing data from licensed childcare providers across the state, including both center-based facilities and family childcare homes.

The Women's Bureau standardizes this data across states, normalizing to annual costs and organizing by age group and care type. The resulting NDCP dataset is the most comprehensive publicly available source of childcare pricing data in the United States, covering over 3,200 counties.

Data Accuracy Commitment

PlainChildcare presents Department of Labor data without modification. Cost figures, affordability ratios, and geographic aggregations are computed directly from the published NDCP dataset and Census ACS income data. We do not estimate costs for counties where survey data is unavailable. If you find any data that appears incorrect, please contact us so we can verify against the source records.

Contact

Questions about our methodology or found a data error? Reach us at hello@plainchildcare.com or through our contact page.

Beyond our primary data sources, the following federal government resources provide additional context for transparency, methodology verification, and related public records:

  • FOIA.gov - Freedom of Information Act portal for requesting federal records.
  • USA.gov Government Works - Comprehensive directory of U.S. federal agencies and public datasets.
  • Data.gov - Central repository of U.S. federal open data, including the source agencies referenced on this page.
  • Regulations.gov - Federal Register notices, public comments, and rulemaking activity for source agencies.