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 Piute County, Utah sits at 35.7% of median income (20.5 pp above 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 | Piute County Utah | $11,895 | $33,359 | 35.7% |
| 2 | Suffolk County Massachusetts | $30,680 | $87,669 | 35.0% |
| 3 | Issaquena County Mississippi | $6,190 | $17,900 | 34.6% |
| 4 | Bronx County New York | $15,600 | $47,036 | 33.2% |
| 5 | Humboldt County California | $19,044 | $57,881 | 32.9% |
| 6 | Knox County Illinois | $16,161 | $50,263 | 32.2% |
| 7 | Fresno County California | $21,611 | $67,756 | 31.9% |
| 8 | Pacific County Washington | $18,580 | $58,889 | 31.6% |
| 9 | Athens County Ohio | $15,340 | $48,750 | 31.5% |
| 10 | Grays Harbor County Washington | $18,580 | $59,105 | 31.4% |
| 11 | Wahkiakum County Washington | $18,580 | $59,167 | 31.4% |
| 12 | Apache County Arizona | $11,700 | $37,483 | 31.2% |
| 13 | Stearns County Minnesota | $22,395 | $73,105 | 30.6% |
| 14 | Jackson County Illinois | $13,734 | $44,847 | 30.6% |
| 15 | Huerfano County Colorado | $14,825 | $49,631 | 29.9% |
| 16 | Inyo County California | $18,765 | $63,417 | 29.6% |
| 17 | Jefferson County Ohio | $15,340 | $53,124 | 28.9% |
| 18 | San Miguel County Colorado | $20,961 | $72,829 | 28.8% |
| 19 | Kern County California | $18,337 | $63,883 | 28.7% |
| 20 | Jefferson County Washington | $18,580 | $64,796 | 28.7% |
| 21 | Trumbull County Ohio | $15,340 | $53,537 | 28.7% |
| 22 | Yuba County California | $18,987 | $66,693 | 28.5% |
| 23 | Clallam County Washington | $18,580 | $66,108 | 28.1% |
| 24 | Holmes County Mississippi | $8,046 | $28,818 | 27.9% |
| 25 | Klickitat County Washington | $18,580 | $66,581 | 27.9% |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). Affordability = annual infant center cost / median household income