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 2,662 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.
#1Grant County, Kansas sits at 5.9% of median income (9.3 pp below the 15.2% cohort average). Small ACS income cells still move this ratio sharply; treat the ranking as a cost-burden screen, not a verdict on care quality in that county.
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.
| # | County | Infant Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant County | $4,971 |
| 2 | Oconee County | $7,436 |
| 3 | Trego County | $4,971 |
| 4 | Ottawa County | $4,971 |
| 5 | Gray County | $4,971 |
| 6 | Oldham County | $7,868 |
| 7 | Meade County | $4,971 |
| 8 | Nemaha County | $4,971 |
| 9 | Thomas County | $4,971 |
| 10 | McPherson County | $4,971 |
| 11 | Jackson County | $4,971 |
| 12 | Logan County | $4,971 |
| 13 | Kiowa County | $4,971 |
| 14 | Wabaunsee County | $4,971 |
| 15 | Greeley County | $4,971 |
| 16 | Wichita County | $4,971 |
| 17 | Glasscock County | $8,060 |
| 18 | Hanson County | $6,240 |
| 19 | Kearny County | $4,971 |
| 20 | Finney County | $4,971 |
| 21 | Greene County | $5,642 |
| 22 | Franklin County | $4,971 |
| 23 | Ford County | $4,971 |
| 24 | Stevens County | $4,971 |
| 25 | Anderson County | $4,971 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). Affordability = annual infant center cost / median household income