Childcare Cost Rankings
Top 25 counties by cost and affordability of center-based infant care
Inclusion floor: every ranked county must have both an NDCP center-based infant price and a Census ACS median household income (>$0). Affordability tabs use cost ÷ income among those 2,661 counties only; counties missing either input are excluded so a thin income figure cannot invent a #1 burden rate. Cohort average cost burden: 15.2% of median income.
Ranked by reported cost only, not a quality, safety, or licensing rating. Verify licensing and inspection history directly with providers or your state's Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agency before choosing care.
Not ranked here: Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area, AK (2008 survey), Bedford City, VA (2013 survey) and Valdez-Cordova Census Area, AK (2019 survey). The newest DOL NDCP figures for these counties are older than the 2022 figures every ranked county uses, so a price from those years is not sorted against 2022 prices. Their own pages show the data as published.
| # | County | Infant Cost | Median Income | % of Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco County California | $31,544 | $136,689 | 23.1% |
| 2 | Suffolk County Massachusetts | $30,680 | $87,669 | 35.0% |
| 3 | Arlington County Virginia | $29,086 | $137,387 | 21.2% |
| 4 | Norfolk County Massachusetts | $28,860 | $120,621 | 23.9% |
| 5 | San Mateo County California | $28,837 | $149,907 | 19.2% |
| 6 | Marin County California | $28,504 | $142,019 | 20.1% |
| 7 | Santa Clara County California | $27,411 | $153,792 | 17.8% |
| 8 | Alameda County California | $26,827 | $122,488 | 21.9% |
| 9 | District of Columbia District of Columbia | $25,480 | $101,722 | 25.0% |
| 10 | Contra Costa County California | $25,052 | $120,020 | 20.9% |
| 11 | King County Washington | $24,879 | $116,340 | 21.4% |
| 12 | Santa Cruz County California | $24,798 | $104,409 | 23.8% |
| 13 | Sitka City and Borough Alaska | $24,413 | $95,261 | 25.6% |
| 14 | Middlesex County Massachusetts | $24,001 | $121,304 | 19.8% |
| 15 | Essex County Massachusetts | $24,001 | $94,378 | 25.4% |
| 16 | Alexandria City Virginia | $23,540 | $113,179 | 20.8% |
| 17 | Santa Barbara County California | $23,532 | $92,332 | 25.5% |
| 18 | El Dorado County California | $23,398 | $99,246 | 23.6% |
| 19 | Placer County California | $23,344 | $109,375 | 21.3% |
| 20 | Stearns County Minnesota | $22,395 | $73,105 | 30.6% |
| 21 | Denver County Colorado | $22,357 | $85,853 | 26.0% |
| 22 | Falls Church City Virginia | $22,311 | $164,536 | 13.6% |
| 23 | Fairfield County Connecticut | $22,100 | $106,821 | 20.7% |
| 24 | Ventura County California | $22,085 | $102,141 | 21.6% |
| 25 | Solano County California | $22,030 | $97,037 | 22.7% |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). Affordability = annual infant center cost / median household income