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.
#1 Grant 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.
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 | Grant County Kansas | $4,971 | $84,808 | 5.9% |
| 2 | Oconee County Georgia | $7,436 | $116,221 | 6.4% |
| 3 | Trego County Kansas | $4,971 | $77,500 | 6.4% |
| 4 | Ottawa County Kansas | $4,971 | $74,551 | 6.7% |
| 5 | Gray County Kansas | $4,971 | $74,500 | 6.7% |
| 6 | Oldham County Kentucky | $7,868 | $117,334 | 6.7% |
| 7 | Meade County Kansas | $4,971 | $74,063 | 6.7% |
| 8 | Nemaha County Kansas | $4,971 | $72,788 | 6.8% |
| 9 | Thomas County Kansas | $4,971 | $72,417 | 6.9% |
| 10 | McPherson County Kansas | $4,971 | $71,250 | 7.0% |
| 11 | Jackson County Kansas | $4,971 | $70,385 | 7.1% |
| 12 | Logan County Kansas | $4,971 | $70,382 | 7.1% |
| 13 | Kiowa County Kansas | $4,971 | $70,347 | 7.1% |
| 14 | Wabaunsee County Kansas | $4,971 | $70,000 | 7.1% |
| 15 | Greeley County Kansas | $4,971 | $69,948 | 7.1% |
| 16 | Wichita County Kansas | $4,971 | $69,551 | 7.1% |
| 17 | Glasscock County Texas | $8,060 | $112,188 | 7.2% |
| 18 | Hanson County South Dakota | $6,240 | $86,827 | 7.2% |
| 19 | Kearny County Kansas | $4,971 | $68,750 | 7.2% |
| 20 | Finney County Kansas | $4,971 | $68,481 | 7.3% |
| 21 | Greene County Georgia | $5,642 | $77,527 | 7.3% |
| 22 | Franklin County Kansas | $4,971 | $68,217 | 7.3% |
| 23 | Ford County Kansas | $4,971 | $67,997 | 7.3% |
| 24 | Stevens County Kansas | $4,971 | $67,950 | 7.3% |
| 25 | Anderson County Kansas | $4,971 | $67,651 | 7.3% |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). Affordability = annual infant center cost / median household income