Free local comparison · no account needed
Daycare & Childcare Costs in Wake County, NC
Compare historical daycare prices and calculate a budget for your own family.
2022 median weekly prices · historical benchmarks · current quotes can override the estimate
Explore the map and calculator ↓Loading interactive controls. The saved example and source data are available below.
Saved example: 1 child · center-based care · historical benchmark. Change the inputs to calculate your own comparison.
100 points shown; 100 places in this view. Dot colors run from lower teal values to higher rust values; gray means unavailable. Exact values follow in the table.
Wake County, NC
1 child · center-based care · historical benchmark
- Estimated monthly family cost
- $1,332
- Annual cost (52 weeks)
- $15,979
- Share of gross household income
- 20.0%
The family estimate adds the selected age groups. The map, table and county comparison use 2022 benchmarks. Missing age-group prices make the family benchmark unavailable. A zero income has no computable percentage.
| County | Weekly family cost | Monthly family cost | Income share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County, NC | $307.29 | $1,332 | 20.0% |
| Durham County, NC | $317.06 | $1,374 | 20.6% |
Local prices by age and setting
| Age group | Center-based care | Family childcare home |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $307.29 | $216.53 |
| Toddler | $251.17 | $201.43 |
| Preschooler | $188.64 | $202.14 |
Prices include DOL estimates and imputed observations. The original price flags are preserved in the downloadable data. Source county: Wake County. Confirm local availability and current prices with providers.
Compare places in this state
20 of 100 places shown in the saved example. Interactive controls can search every place in the dataset.
Scroll the table horizontally to see every column →
| Place | Monthly family care cost | Annual family cost |
|---|---|---|
| Alamance County, NC | $629.2 | $7,550 |
| Alexander County, NC | $688.6 | $8,263 |
| Alleghany County, NC | $474.3 | $5,692 |
| Anson County, NC | $687.8 | $8,254 |
| Ashe County, NC | $730.2 | $8,762 |
| Avery County, NC | $1,029.3 | $12,352 |
| Beaufort County, NC | $802.6 | $9,631 |
| Bertie County, NC | $711.5 | $8,538 |
| Bladen County, NC | $474.3 | $5,692 |
| Brunswick County, NC | $796.7 | $9,560 |
| Buncombe County, NC | $826.7 | $9,920 |
| Burke County, NC | $783.6 | $9,403 |
| Cabarrus County, NC | $1,116.0 | $13,392 |
| Caldwell County, NC | $711.5 | $8,538 |
| Camden County, NC | $783.6 | $9,404 |
| Carteret County, NC | $861.6 | $10,339 |
| Caswell County, NC | $877.6 | $10,531 |
| Catawba County, NC | $793.2 | $9,519 |
| Chatham County, NC | $986.1 | $11,834 |
| Cherokee County, NC | $905.4 | $10,864 |
Find a local guide
Local guides cover fifty of the largest counties by household count, plus Wake and Durham counties. The calculator covers every current U.S. county equivalent.
Browse 47 local guides
A family budget from county benchmarks
The archived 2022 NDCP supplies median weekly full-day prices for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in centers and family childcare homes. Select an age group for each child. Weekly family cost is the sum of those prices; annual cost uses 52 paid weeks and monthly cost divides that annual amount by 12. These conversions assume year-round care without sibling discounts or subsidies. A current quote can replace the total weekly family price for your selected county result.
Historical prices and changing geography
These are 2022 prices, not current provider quotes. The DOL series includes estimated and imputed observations; original source flags are retained in the JSON and archived extract. Current counties are matched by exact FIPS code. New county equivalents without a legacy match remain unavailable. We do not assign prices from an old county to a newly defined county or turn missing prices into zero.
Sources and reproducibility
U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices. Public files retrieved October 1, 2026. These snapshots stay fixed until a reviewed refresh. County points use Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points; metro points are the average of matched county coordinates.
Original download links, archived extract rules and SHA-256 checksums. Missing or suppressed values remain unavailable in maps, tables and downloads. Maps use point locations rather than geographic area to represent counties, metros and stations; dots may overlap at the national scale.
Common questions
How much does daycare cost in my county?
Choose the county, care setting and children's age groups to see the historical median benchmark and family estimate. Ask local providers for current prices and openings.
Will my own childcare quote change the map?
Your quote changes the selected family's total only. The map, county table and county comparison retain the same historical benchmarks so places remain comparable.