Avg Infant (Center)
$11,791 /yr
Across 88 Ohio counties
Statewide childcare costs · DOL NDCP 2022
Childcare costs in Ohio
According to PlainChildcare's state ranking (DOL NDCP county averages), Ohio ranks #29 of 45 jurisdictions by average center-based infant care price (cheapest = #1).
Data updated 2026-09-24
- $11,791
- Avg infant (center)
- +23%
- Vs. national avg
- #29 of 45
- Corpus placement
NDCP state market brief
Ohio statewide sticker posture
- PRICE HIGH vs national NDCP mean
- AVG $11,791 Center infant avg
- SPREAD $6,315 County min–max gap
- RANK #29 of 45 National state rank
- COUNT 88 Reporting counties
- MIN $9,025 Cheapest county
- MAX $15,340 Priciest county
- PHOTO Utah Nearest avg peer
Avg-infant peers
Avg Toddler (Center)
$10,686 /yr
Center-based weighted average
Avg Preschool (Center)
$9,394 /yr
Center-based weighted average
Infant cost spread
$9,025 – $15,340
Lowest to highest county
Ohio center-based childcare averages by age
Annual cost averaged across all reporting counties. Source: DOL Women's Bureau NDCP 2022.
Where Ohio ranks on infant-care cost
Average center-based infant care, every U.S. state with reported prices
$11,791 more affordable than 36% of 45 US states
Each bar is a $2.5K-wide band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices · 2026-09-24
Ohio infant care vs. HHS 7%-of-income affordability ceiling 73.7%
HHS 7% threshold
Bar shows Ohio 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 Ohio, starting at $9,025/yr
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Most Expensive Childcare
Counties with the highest infant care costs in Ohio, up to $15,340/yr
Childcare Landscape Across Ohio
Across Ohio's 88 counties with NDCP price coverage, center-based infant care averages $11,791/year (HIGH vs the national mean), toddler $10,686/year, preschool $9,394/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 $9,025 to $15,340 (Δ $6,315/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 | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 19.5% |
| Allen County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 15.3% |
| Ashland County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 14.5% |
| Ashtabula County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 21.5% |
| Athens County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 31.5% |
| Auglaize County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 15.3% |
| Belmont County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 26.9% |
| Brown County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 13.5% |
| Butler County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 19.9% |
| Carroll County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 15.1% |
| Champaign County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 12.8% |
| Clark County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 19.6% |
| Clermont County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 19.3% |
| Clinton County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 18.0% |
| Columbiana County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 16.3% |
| Coshocton County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 17.3% |
| Crawford County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 17.2% |
| Cuyahoga County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 25.5% |
| Darke County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 15.0% |
| Defiance County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 22.1% |
| Delaware County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 12.4% |
| Erie County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 17.7% |
| Fairfield County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 18.5% |
| Fayette County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 20.3% |
| Franklin County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 21.6% |
| Fulton County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 12.6% |
| Gallia County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 16.3% |
| Geauga County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 15.8% |
| Greene County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 18.9% |
| Guernsey County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 21.4% |
| Hamilton County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 22.5% |
| Hancock County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 22.9% |
| Hardin County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 20.6% |
| Harrison County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 16.7% |
| Henry County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 12.6% |
| Highland County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 14.9% |
| Hocking County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 15.3% |
| Holmes County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 21.0% |
| Huron County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 18.0% |
| Jackson County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 16.0% |
| Jefferson County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 28.9% |
| Knox County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 21.5% |
| Lake County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 20.0% |
| Lawrence County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 22.3% |
| Licking County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 14.7% |
| Logan County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 16.7% |
| Lorain County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 22.8% |
| Lucas County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 26.8% |
| Madison County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 15.0% |
| Mahoning County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 21.3% |
| Marion County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 27.8% |
| Medina County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 17.1% |
| Meigs County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 19.5% |
| Mercer County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 12.3% |
| Miami County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 12.6% |
| Monroe County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 27.7% |
| Montgomery County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 24.8% |
| Morgan County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 22.6% |
| Morrow County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 21.8% |
| Muskingum County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 15.9% |
| Noble County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 22.4% |
| Ottawa County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 16.6% |
| Paulding County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 13.8% |
| Perry County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 18.3% |
| Pickaway County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 13.4% |
| Pike County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 17.8% |
| Portage County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 22.0% |
| Preble County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 17.4% |
| Putnam County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 11.4% |
| Richland County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 16.0% |
| Ross County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 15.5% |
| Sandusky County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 19.0% |
| Scioto County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 19.5% |
| Seneca County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 14.4% |
| Shelby County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 12.3% |
| Stark County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 18.3% |
| Summit County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 22.4% |
| Trumbull County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 28.7% |
| Tuscarawas County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 18.6% |
| Union County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 14.7% |
| Van Wert County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 13.9% |
| Vinton County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 17.7% |
| Warren County | $15,340 | $13,780 | $12,064 | 14.9% |
| Washington County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 15.3% |
| Wayne County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 16.4% |
| Williams County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 14.9% |
| Wood County | $11,537 | $10,400 | $9,100 | 16.4% |
| Wyandot County | $9,025 | $8,320 | $7,384 | 13.2% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Ohio rank on childcare costs nationally?
Ohio's average center-based infant care ($11,791/yr) is cheaper than only 36% of the 45 U.S. states with reported NDCP prices (national rank #29 of 45, cheapest = #1).
Is childcare more or less expensive in Ohio than the national average?
Ohio's average infant care price runs 23% above the national NDCP average ($9,592/yr) - a HIGH band in this site's sticker scale.
Does childcare cost vary a lot within Ohio?
Yes - Ohio's 88 reporting counties range from $9,025 to $15,340/yr for infant care, a $6,315 spread.
How does childcare cost change by child age in Ohio?
Costs step down gradually with age here, tracking the typical national pattern where lower infant staffing ratios drive early-years pricing higher.
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 September 2026. Primary sources: DOL Women's Bureau NDCP and U.S. Census Bureau ACS.