Avg Infant (Center)
$12,821 /yr
Across 62 Colorado counties
Statewide childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Colorado
According to PlainChildcare's state ranking (DOL NDCP county averages), Colorado ranks #33 of 45 jurisdictions by average center-based infant care price (cheapest = #1).
Data updated 2026-07-05
- $12,821
- Avg infant (center)
- +34%
- Vs. national avg
- #33 of 45
- Corpus placement
NDCP state market brief
Colorado statewide sticker posture
- PRICE HIGH vs national NDCP mean
- AVG $12,821 Center infant avg
- SPREAD $16,957 County min–max gap
- RANK #33 of 45 National state rank
- COUNT 62 Reporting counties
- MIN $5,400 Cheapest county
- MAX $22,357 Priciest county
- PHOTO Oregon Nearest avg peer
Avg-infant peers
Avg Toddler (Center)
$11,897 /yr
Center-based weighted average
Avg Preschool (Center)
$11,013 /yr
Center-based weighted average
Infant cost spread
$5,400 – $22,357
Lowest to highest county
Colorado center-based childcare averages by age
Annual cost averaged across all reporting counties. Source: DOL Women's Bureau NDCP 2022.
Colorado infant care vs. HHS 7%-of-income affordability ceiling 80.1%
HHS 7% threshold
Bar shows Colorado infant care as a share of an $80,000 reference household income. The dark marker shows the HHS 7% threshold, anything past it is officially "unaffordable" by federal definition.
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Cheapest Childcare
Counties with the lowest infant care costs in Colorado, starting at $5,400/yr
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Most Expensive Childcare
Counties with the highest infant care costs in Colorado, up to $22,357/yr
Childcare Landscape Across Colorado
Across Colorado's 62 counties with NDCP price coverage, center-based infant care averages $12,821/year (HIGH vs the national mean), toddler $11,897/year, preschool $11,013/year. Costs step down gradually with age here, tracking the typical national pattern where lower infant staffing ratios drive early-years pricing higher. County stickers run $5,400 to $22,357 (Δ $16,957/yr). Licensing ratios and background checks are uniform statewide; density and subsidy acceptance are not - use the county table and Read-with drills below, not a clone licensing essay.
Counties
| County | Infant /yr | Toddler /yr | Preschool /yr | % of income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | $20,405 | $17,204 | $14,087 | 23.6% |
| Alamosa County | $8,928 | $6,622 | $6,230 | 17.1% |
| Arapahoe County | $19,625 | $16,926 | $14,586 | 21.3% |
| Archuleta County | $11,601 | $10,842 | $9,849 | 17.4% |
| Baca County | $5,400 | $6,594 | $5,949 | 12.8% |
| Bent County | $5,400 | $6,594 | $5,249 | 11.8% |
| Boulder County | $21,000 | $20,244 | $18,073 | 21.0% |
| Broomfield County | $17,753 | $16,978 | $13,762 | 15.1% |
| Chaffee County | $14,724 | $6,453 | $19,347 | 22.4% |
| Cheyenne County | $5,400 | $6,594 | $19,347 | 8.2% |
| Clear Creek County | $14,508 | $11,835 | $10,795 | 16.6% |
| Conejos County | $5,400 | $6,594 | $4,516 | 12.2% |
| Costilla County | $9,521 | $7,618 | $7,166 | 27.5% |
| Crowley County | $9,485 | $7,519 | $7,103 | 23.3% |
| Custer County | $11,601 | $10,842 | $9,849 | 17.5% |
| Delta County | $7,930 | $7,379 | $9,994 | 14.1% |
| Denver County | $22,357 | $19,469 | $17,264 | 26.0% |
| Dolores County | $11,404 | $10,496 | $9,565 | 17.6% |
| Douglas County | $20,862 | $16,741 | $14,370 | 15.0% |
| Eagle County | $17,295 | $15,743 | $15,127 | 17.5% |
| El Paso County | $18,223 | $15,626 | $13,835 | 22.0% |
| Elbert County | $14,591 | $13,835 | $13,013 | 11.7% |
| Fremont County | $8,635 | $7,985 | $12,607 | 15.4% |
| Garfield County | $15,462 | $13,161 | $14,102 | 18.7% |
| Gilpin County | $15,306 | $14,284 | $12,750 | 16.0% |
| Grand County | $17,776 | $18,093 | $13,718 | 22.4% |
| Gunnison County | $14,825 | $13,624 | $8,044 | 19.4% |
| Hinsdale County | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Huerfano County | $14,825 | $5,346 | $4,776 | 29.9% |
| Jackson County | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Jefferson County | $21,590 | $18,619 | $17,025 | 20.9% |
| Kiowa County | $5,400 | $6,594 | $5,842 | 11.9% |
| Kit Carson County | $9,240 | $6,809 | $6,664 | 15.7% |
| La Plata County | $14,872 | $12,308 | $11,019 | 18.2% |
| Lake County | $12,051 | $10,439 | $8,663 | 15.3% |
| Larimer County | $20,345 | $18,255 | $15,111 | 23.3% |
| Las Animas County | $5,756 | $4,891 | $4,560 | 11.8% |
| Lincoln County | $8,728 | $10,026 | $9,363 | 14.8% |
| Logan County | $8,635 | $8,172 | $8,172 | 15.7% |
| Mesa County | $11,575 | $10,512 | $9,422 | 17.0% |
| Mineral County | $9,175 | $17,113 | $16,302 | 15.6% |
| Moffat County | $15,153 | $13,447 | $13,018 | 23.7% |
| Montezuma County | $10,104 | $10,501 | $8,187 | 16.5% |
| Montrose County | $12,350 | $11,076 | $9,404 | 19.7% |
| Morgan County | $8,970 | $11,284 | $10,176 | 12.7% |
| Otero County | $5,400 | $6,594 | $5,951 | 11.4% |
| Ouray County | $18,996 | $16,494 | $13,720 | 24.1% |
| Park County | $20,077 | $15,392 | $13,146 | 23.6% |
| Phillips County | $5,400 | $6,594 | $4,532 | 9.2% |
| Pitkin County | $14,170 | $15,106 | $13,676 | 14.7% |
| Prowers County | $5,400 | $6,594 | $6,011 | 10.9% |
| Pueblo County | $13,390 | $11,081 | $9,942 | 22.5% |
| Rio Blanco County | $9,672 | $14,968 | $14,589 | 13.8% |
| Rio Grande County | $9,305 | $6,999 | $6,781 | 16.2% |
| Routt County | $17,246 | $18,200 | $16,554 | 18.1% |
| Saguache County | $9,729 | $9,729 | $7,127 | 18.7% |
| San Juan County | $15,306 | $14,284 | $12,750 | 22.7% |
| San Miguel County | $20,961 | $18,348 | $16,489 | 28.8% |
| Sedgwick County | $5,400 | $6,594 | $4,807 | 11.8% |
| Summit County | $19,744 | $18,577 | $16,986 | 19.6% |
| Teller County | $14,713 | $13,556 | $7,855 | 21.1% |
| Washington County | $9,688 | $15,694 | $15,322 | 16.4% |
| Weld County | $17,740 | $15,259 | $13,099 | 19.9% |
| Yuma County | $8,406 | $6,305 | $5,504 | 14.0% |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). Costs shown are annual estimates
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
PlainChildcare is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices and Census ACS income data, no number is typed in by an editor. State averages and county ranks are computed from the NDCP price tables joined to ACS median household income. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026. Primary sources: DOL Women's Bureau NDCP and U.S. Census Bureau ACS.