What care costs for a preschooler and for two children, county by county, and how it compares with what families here earn.
Full-time care for a 4-year-old costs about $3,489 a year in the typical county in Mississippi, or $291 a month, 56.6% less than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $6,396 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 6.0% of median family income in the typical county.
The federal Department of Health and Human Services counts child care as affordable when it takes no more than 7% of family income. For one 4-year-old, 53 of Mississippi's 82 counties meet that at the median family income; nationally, 259 of 3,131 counties do. In the budget EPI draws up for two parents and two children, child care is 7.7% of the total in the typical county.
Build a budget with your own child care cost, or see the rest of what Mississippi costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Holmes County ($8,034), Yazoo County ($7,964) and Perry County ($7,940), and least in Carroll County ($2,726), Wilkinson County ($2,787) and Wayne County ($2,865). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Adams County | $3,402 | $284 | $6,011 | 6.6% |
| Alcorn County | $3,462 | $289 | $6,121 | 5.3% |
| Amite County | $3,318 | $277 | $6,490 | 6.9% |
| Attala County | $2,959 | $247 | $5,876 | 4.9% |
| Benton County | $2,884 | $240 | $5,783 | 5.5% |
| Bolivar County | $3,701 | $308 | $6,565 | 7.7% |
| Calhoun County | $3,067 | $256 | $5,440 | 4.9% |
| Carroll County | $2,726 | $227 | $5,535 | 3.7% |
| Chickasaw County | $3,223 | $269 | $5,740 | 6.2% |
| Choctaw County | $3,264 | $272 | $5,806 | 5.5% |
| Claiborne County | $3,634 | $303 | $6,499 | 9.7% |
| Clarke County | $3,275 | $273 | $5,778 | 5.8% |
| Clay County | $3,841 | $320 | $6,826 | 7.1% |
| Coahoma County | $3,292 | $274 | $6,436 | 7.6% |
| Copiah County | $7,913 | $659 | $14,413 | 13.0% |
| Covington County | $7,904 | $659 | $14,394 | 12.9% |
| DeSoto County | $7,526 | $627 | $13,660 | 8.0% |
| Forrest County | $7,702 | $642 | $14,003 | 11.4% |
| Franklin County | $3,099 | $258 | $5,480 | 6.0% |
| George County | $3,661 | $305 | $6,482 | 5.4% |
| Greene County | $3,451 | $288 | $6,182 | 4.9% |
| Grenada County | $3,763 | $314 | $6,761 | 6.1% |
| Hancock County | $7,731 | $644 | $14,059 | 9.0% |
| Harrison County | $7,662 | $639 | $13,925 | 10.8% |
| Hinds County | $7,642 | $637 | $13,886 | 11.8% |
| Holmes County | $8,034 | $670 | $14,648 | 19.3% |
| Humphreys County | $2,943 | $245 | $5,777 | 7.1% |
| Issaquena County | $2,918 | $243 | $5,173 | 4.7% |
| Itawamba County | $3,487 | $291 | $6,182 | 4.3% |
| Jackson County | $7,685 | $640 | $13,969 | 9.1% |
| Jasper County | $3,705 | $309 | $6,595 | 6.0% |
| Jefferson County | $2,997 | $250 | $5,879 | 6.6% |
| Jefferson Davis County | $3,063 | $255 | $6,150 | 5.6% |
| Jones County | $3,464 | $289 | $6,786 | 5.1% |
| Kemper County | $2,918 | $243 | $5,173 | 6.0% |
| Lafayette County | $5,071 | $423 | $9,006 | 6.0% |
| Lamar County | $7,546 | $629 | $13,700 | 9.0% |
| Lauderdale County | $3,933 | $328 | $6,979 | 5.9% |
| Lawrence County | $3,950 | $329 | $7,085 | 7.1% |
| Leake County | $3,349 | $279 | $5,957 | 5.6% |
| Lee County | $4,072 | $339 | $7,235 | 4.8% |
| Leflore County | $3,232 | $269 | $6,356 | 7.5% |
| Lincoln County | $3,578 | $298 | $6,340 | 5.1% |
| Lowndes County | $4,365 | $364 | $7,772 | 5.9% |
| Madison County | $7,501 | $625 | $13,613 | 7.3% |
| Marion County | $3,491 | $291 | $6,210 | 6.7% |
| Marshall County | $7,910 | $659 | $14,408 | 12.4% |
| Monroe County | $3,345 | $279 | $5,941 | 5.0% |
| Montgomery County | $2,908 | $242 | $5,818 | 5.6% |
| Neshoba County | $3,366 | $281 | $5,964 | 5.7% |
| Newton County | $3,461 | $288 | $6,122 | 5.3% |
| Noxubee County | $3,320 | $277 | $5,926 | 7.3% |
| Oktibbeha County | $4,673 | $389 | $8,301 | 6.2% |
| Panola County | $3,548 | $296 | $6,265 | 5.7% |
| Pearl River County | $3,725 | $310 | $7,293 | 5.1% |
| Perry County | $7,940 | $662 | $14,466 | 15.1% |
| Pike County | $3,353 | $279 | $6,607 | 6.8% |
| Pontotoc County | $3,624 | $302 | $6,443 | 5.1% |
| Prentiss County | $3,475 | $290 | $6,229 | 5.3% |
| Quitman County | $3,268 | $272 | $5,808 | 6.8% |
| Rankin County | $7,515 | $626 | $13,640 | 7.9% |
| Scott County | $3,497 | $291 | $6,216 | 6.1% |
| Sharkey County | $3,139 | $262 | $6,148 | 5.7% |
| Simpson County | $7,906 | $659 | $14,399 | 12.1% |
| Smith County | $3,126 | $261 | $6,114 | 4.6% |
| Stone County | $7,877 | $656 | $14,344 | 10.4% |
| Sunflower County | $3,459 | $288 | $6,196 | 7.1% |
| Tallahatchie County | $2,918 | $243 | $5,173 | 5.9% |
| Tate County | $7,848 | $654 | $14,287 | 11.0% |
| Tippah County | $2,995 | $250 | $5,897 | 5.1% |
| Tishomingo County | $3,038 | $253 | $5,378 | 4.2% |
| Tunica County | $7,804 | $650 | $14,200 | 14.7% |
| Union County | $3,675 | $306 | $6,522 | 5.0% |
| Walthall County | $3,329 | $277 | $5,960 | 5.2% |
| Warren County | $3,853 | $321 | $7,555 | 5.0% |
| Washington County | $3,658 | $305 | $6,480 | 7.2% |
| Wayne County | $2,865 | $239 | $5,660 | 4.9% |
| Webster County | $2,980 | $248 | $5,892 | 4.1% |
| Wilkinson County | $2,787 | $232 | $5,508 | 5.7% |
| Winston County | $3,751 | $313 | $6,700 | 6.5% |
| Yalobusha County | $3,034 | $253 | $5,396 | 4.9% |
| Yazoo County | $7,964 | $664 | $14,512 | 14.6% |
Click a column to sort it. The share compares care for one 4-year-old with the county's median family income. A dash means EPI publishes no income figure for that county.
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