National ranking · School-age family care · DOL NDCP 2022
The 100 cheapest counties for school-age family childcare
Family childcare homes (ages 5–12) ranked by lowest annual cost, straight from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices.
Data updated 2026-07-05
- $1,084
- Cheapest - Clay County, IL
- $6,321
- National average
- 2,557
- Counties with data
Ranked by reported family-childcare cost only, not a quality, safety, or licensing rating. Verify licensing and current pricing directly with providers or your state's Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agency before choosing care.
What the ranking shows
The cheapest county for family-based school-age care is Clay County, IL at $1,084 a year - 83% below the national average of $6,321. The 100th-cheapest county still comes in at $2,361, so every county on this list sits well under the typical U.S. price for after-school and summer care in a home setting.
- Cheapest
- $1,084/yr
- 100th place
- $2,361/yr
- National avg
- $6,321/yr
- Counties ranked
- 2,557
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices (2022). Family childcare = care in a provider's home; school-age = roughly ages 5–12 (before/after-school and summer).
| # | County | Family · school-age /yr | Share of income | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clay County, IL Illinois | $1,084 | 1.9% | $58,028 |
| 2 | Woodford County, IL Illinois | $1,131 | 1.4% | $80,093 |
| 3 | McDonough County, IL Illinois | $1,183 | 2.4% | $48,904 |
| 4 | Jefferson County, IL Illinois | $1,225 | 2.1% | $58,384 |
| 5 | Greene County, IL Illinois | $1,238 | 2.1% | $58,900 |
| 6 | Cumberland County, IL Illinois | $1,248 | 1.8% | $71,274 |
| 7 | Pike County, IL Illinois | $1,300 | 2.3% | $55,514 |
| 8 | Scott County, IL Illinois | $1,300 | 1.8% | $70,500 |
| 9 | Hancock County, IL Illinois | $1,357 | 2.2% | $61,026 |
| 10 | Macon County, IL Illinois | $1,357 | 2.3% | $59,622 |
| 11 | Macoupin County, IL Illinois | $1,362 | 2.1% | $64,706 |
| 12 | Clark County, IL Illinois | $1,446 | 2.2% | $65,874 |
| 13 | Jackson County, IL Illinois | $1,446 | 3.2% | $44,847 |
| 14 | Adams County, IL Illinois | $1,521 | 2.4% | $63,767 |
| 15 | Champaign County, IL Illinois | $1,537 | 2.5% | $61,090 |
| 16 | Crawford County, IL Illinois | $1,537 | 2.4% | $64,163 |
| 17 | Douglas County, IL Illinois | $1,625 | 2.4% | $67,177 |
| 18 | Fayette County, IL Illinois | $1,625 | 3.1% | $51,962 |
| 19 | Livingston County, IL Illinois | $1,625 | 2.4% | $68,175 |
| 20 | Moultrie County, IL Illinois | $1,625 | 2.2% | $72,833 |
| 21 | Piatt County, IL Illinois | $1,625 | 2.0% | $81,151 |
| 22 | Richland County, IL Illinois | $1,643 | 2.7% | $61,607 |
| 23 | Stephenson County, IL Illinois | $1,643 | 2.9% | $57,527 |
| 24 | Schuyler County, IL Illinois | $1,654 | 2.6% | $63,737 |
| 25 | Effingham County, IL Illinois | $1,687 | 2.3% | $73,181 |
| 26 | Montgomery County, IL Illinois | $1,734 | 2.8% | $61,796 |
| 27 | Marion County, IL Illinois | $1,750 | 3.0% | $59,099 |
| 28 | Shelby County, IL Illinois | $1,754 | 2.7% | $65,585 |
| 29 | Menard County, IL Illinois | $1,773 | 2.1% | $84,846 |
| 30 | Morgan County, IL Illinois | $1,773 | 2.9% | $61,188 |
| 31 | Coles County, IL Illinois | $1,794 | 3.3% | $53,732 |
| 32 | Iroquois County, IL Illinois | $1,815 | 2.9% | $62,866 |
| 33 | Lawrence County, IL Illinois | $1,889 | 3.4% | $55,811 |
| 34 | Lake County, IL Illinois | $1,911 | 1.8% | $104,553 |
| 35 | De Witt County, IL Illinois | $1,950 | 3.2% | $61,823 |
| 36 | Jasper County, IL Illinois | $1,950 | 2.9% | $67,429 |
| 37 | Kankakee County, IL Illinois | $1,950 | 3.0% | $65,489 |
| 38 | Mercer County, IL Illinois | $1,950 | 2.9% | $67,028 |
| 39 | Franklin County, IL Illinois | $2,000 | 3.9% | $51,031 |
| 40 | Mason County, IL Illinois | $2,014 | 3.4% | $58,479 |
| 41 | Will County, IL Illinois | $2,080 | 2.0% | $103,678 |
| 42 | Winnebago County, IL Illinois | $2,114 | 3.4% | $61,738 |
| 43 | St. Clair County, IL Illinois | $2,129 | 3.1% | $68,915 |
| 44 | Ford County, IL Illinois | $2,170 | 3.7% | $58,930 |
| 45 | Madison County, IL Illinois | $2,205 | 3.1% | $71,759 |
| 46 | Converse County, WY Wyoming | $2,214 | 2.8% | $79,235 |
| 47 | Chatham County, GA Georgia | $2,309 | 3.5% | $66,171 |
| 48 | Boone County, IL Illinois | $2,335 | 2.9% | $80,502 |
| 49 | Appling County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.5% | $43,268 |
| 50 | Atkinson County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 6.2% | $38,007 |
| 51 | Bacon County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.4% | $43,938 |
| 52 | Baker County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.2% | $45,417 |
| 53 | Banks County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 3.4% | $69,096 |
| 54 | Ben Hill County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 6.2% | $38,255 |
| 55 | Berrien County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.9% | $48,670 |
| 56 | Bleckley County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.2% | $56,021 |
| 57 | Brantley County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.9% | $40,166 |
| 58 | Brooks County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.6% | $42,263 |
| 59 | Burke County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.7% | $50,321 |
| 60 | Calhoun County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.9% | $48,663 |
| 61 | Candler County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.2% | $45,519 |
| 62 | Carroll County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 3.5% | $66,895 |
| 63 | Charlton County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.2% | $45,770 |
| 64 | Chattahoochee County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.5% | $52,943 |
| 65 | Chattooga County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.4% | $43,556 |
| 66 | Clay County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.5% | $43,264 |
| 67 | Clinch County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.4% | $53,350 |
| 68 | Coffee County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.9% | $48,398 |
| 69 | Colquitt County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.0% | $47,235 |
| 70 | Cook County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.1% | $46,706 |
| 71 | Crawford County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.1% | $56,948 |
| 72 | Crisp County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.0% | $47,463 |
| 73 | Dade County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.0% | $59,531 |
| 74 | Decatur County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.0% | $47,383 |
| 75 | Dodge County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.1% | $46,091 |
| 76 | Dooly County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.4% | $54,109 |
| 77 | Early County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.9% | $48,355 |
| 78 | Echols County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 3.9% | $61,184 |
| 79 | Elbert County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.9% | $48,190 |
| 80 | Emanuel County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.9% | $47,905 |
| 81 | Evans County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.3% | $55,222 |
| 82 | Fannin County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.3% | $54,857 |
| 83 | Franklin County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.5% | $52,597 |
| 84 | Gilmer County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 3.4% | $70,334 |
| 85 | Glascock County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 3.9% | $60,469 |
| 86 | Grady County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.5% | $51,929 |
| 87 | Greene County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 3.0% | $77,527 |
| 88 | Habersham County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 3.9% | $61,292 |
| 89 | Hancock County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 7.4% | $31,767 |
| 90 | Haralson County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 3.6% | $65,940 |
| 91 | Heard County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 3.7% | $62,965 |
| 92 | Irwin County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.1% | $46,383 |
| 93 | Jasper County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.1% | $57,374 |
| 94 | Jeff Davis County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.7% | $41,780 |
| 95 | Jefferson County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.0% | $46,865 |
| 96 | Jenkins County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 7.5% | $31,463 |
| 97 | Johnson County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.9% | $47,796 |
| 98 | Lanier County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.9% | $39,971 |
| 99 | Laurens County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 5.0% | $46,776 |
| 100 | Lincoln County, GA Georgia | $2,361 | 4.7% | $50,754 |
How to read this ranking
According to the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (latest release, reference-year 2022), family childcare homes report school-age prices for more than 2,500 of the roughly 3,200 U.S. counties we track. Every figure above is the annual, full-time-equivalent price a family childcare home charges for school-age care (roughly ages 5 to 12) in that county. Family childcare runs out of a provider's own home and is usually cheaper than a commercial center, especially for school-age children who only need before-school, after-school, and summer coverage rather than a full day. See our methodology for how these figures are sourced and compared.
Low headline prices often track low local incomes and thin provider markets, so the cheapest counties tend to be rural. A low price is not automatically a bargain: fewer providers can mean long waitlists or limited hours. Compare the family price against the center price and the local median income in the table, and open any county for the full age-by-age breakdown and trend.
Method & caveats
Counties are ranked in ascending order of reported family-childcare school-age cost; counties with no reported family school-age price are excluded. Prices are NDCP market-rate survey figures for the latest release year (2022) and do not reflect subsidies, sibling discounts, or part-time schedules, which can lower what a family actually pays. Always confirm current rates and licensing directly with the provider and your state's Child Care Resource & Referral agency.