No mystery in the math.

Start with a dated county price.

The Department of Labor Women’s Bureau’s National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP) contains county-level estimates from 2008–2022. We use the latest positive, available median weekly value for each age and setting. When a newer year is missing, that individual figure keeps its older source year.

NDCP values can be converted, age-derived, clustered, interpolated or imputed. “County median estimate” does not mean we surveyed every provider or observed a current quote. Original variable names and flags are retained in the bundled data and API.

Newer state surveys replace a figure only after an explicit review of county mapping, age range, care setting and median weekly metric. Reimbursement ceilings, means, modeled operating costs and unmatched regional figures are not substituted for a county median.

Age groups and care settings.

For the NDCP broad categories, infant uses prices from birth through 23 months, toddler from 24–35 months, and preschool from 36–54 months. The database derives a representative value from narrower age groups; state definitions and programs vary. School-age coverage is not uniform and often covers hours around school.

Center-based and family home-based care are separate series. These figures describe care for one child. They do not establish the available hours, quality, openings or included services of a specific program.

Adjust with the childcare CPI.

We use BLS CPI-U series CUUR0000SEEB03, U.S. city average, day care and preschool, not seasonally adjusted. The target is August 2026, index 403.749. Each source-year price is multiplied by the target index divided by that year’s published annual index.

adjusted weekly price = original weekly price
                        × target month CPI
                        ÷ source year annual CPI

monthly planning amount = adjusted weekly price × 52 ÷ 12
annual planning amount  = adjusted weekly price × 52

For a 2022 figure, the factor is 1.222352: 403.749 ÷ 330.305. This is a national inflation adjustment, not a measurement of your county’s recent price growth.

We use published BLS annual averages where available. The CPI series has a missing October 2025 observation; the published 2025 annual average is retained as BLS reports it. We do not invent the missing monthly value. Calculations retain precision and the display rounds dollars.

52 weeks is a planning conversion. A provider may bill fewer paid weeks, calendar months, school terms, holidays or additional fees. Use that provider’s actual payment schedule for a commitment.

Put price beside local income.

Median household income comes from ACS B19013; median family income from B19113. We use the 2020–2024 ACS five-year estimates for matching county and city boundaries. Margins of error are preserved in the data. Income is not inflated to 2026 dollars.

Annual adjusted care divided by the displayed median income is an illustrative share of income. Its price and income periods differ. It is not an estimate of what a particular family spends or a current survey of household budgets.

Connecticut’s current planning-region geography does not match the NDCP’s historical counties. Historical county pages retain the ACS income bundled with NDCP, with its source year shown. Unmatched historical Alaska and Virginia FIPS follow the same rule. Connecticut cities use a Census 2022 historical county crosswalk and 2024 city income.

State and national comparisons.

We calculate a population-weighted mean of available county median prices after adjusting each county. Population comes from matching 2024 ACS records where available, with NDCP population retained for historical boundaries. This is our aggregation, not an official state or national median and not a provider-weighted mean.

Each age and care setting has its own coverage. Missing prices and counties with no usable population are excluded from that series. State ranks count only available county values; the highest price ranks first and equal prices share a competition rank.

City pages use the county containing the largest estimated share of the city’s population in ACS summary level 155. Cities spanning several counties identify those counties and the displayed one. The care price remains a county estimate, alongside city income.

Calculators show a defined part of the decision.

The worth-working tool compares incremental standard-deduction federal tax, employee payroll taxes, the state-tax rate you enter, care, work costs and modeled care benefits. It excludes other credits and deductions, benefit changes and long-term career effects.

The nanny comparison uses editable wages and hours, federal weekly overtime, employer FICA and FUTA, a sharing premium and additional costs. State and local wage, overtime, unemployment, insurance and leave requirements need separate review.

The FSA tool avoids counting the same expenses for both an excluded dependent care benefit and the federal care credit. The nonrefundable credit is limited by the liability entered. Special filing-status, student, incapacity, itemized deduction and state-credit cases are outside the model.

The subsidy checker compares income against the January 2025 ACF initial eligibility table for families of three and four. It links to the current state program and identifies New Mexico’s later universal-care change. It does not determine benefit approval or actual copays.

Refresh and corrections.

Bundled data was retrieved on 2026-10-01. Source files, checksums and import procedures are retained with the project. Dates are updated when data is reviewed, rather than relabeling older figures as a new survey.

If you see an error, send the page URL, the number and an official source through our contact page. Our changelog records dataset updates.