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 $7,347 a year in the typical county in North Carolina, or $612 a month, 8.6% less than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $12,383 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 10.1% 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, 4 of North Carolina's 100 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 13.4% of the total in the typical county. In 1 county, care for one preschooler costs more than the family's housing.
Build a budget with your own child care cost, or see the rest of what North Carolina costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Ashe County ($16,639), Orange County ($12,080) and Wake County ($11,476), and least in Mitchell County ($4,958), Camden County ($5,123) and Pamlico County ($5,243). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Alamance County | $6,854 | $571 | $10,843 | 8.4% |
| Alexander County | $7,182 | $599 | $11,312 | 9.4% |
| Alleghany County | $6,655 | $555 | $10,662 | 11.3% |
| Anson County | $7,617 | $635 | $11,744 | 12.7% |
| Ashe County | $16,639 | $1,387 | $20,832 | 25.6% |
| Avery County | $8,762 | $730 | $13,879 | 11.3% |
| Beaufort County | $8,408 | $701 | $13,431 | 11.6% |
| Bertie County | $6,655 | $555 | $10,513 | 10.8% |
| Bladen County | $6,655 | $555 | $10,662 | 10.7% |
| Brunswick County | $8,858 | $738 | $13,528 | 10.1% |
| Buncombe County | $10,645 | $887 | $18,858 | 11.8% |
| Burke County | $6,796 | $566 | $10,704 | 10.0% |
| Cabarrus County | $10,446 | $871 | $16,454 | 10.2% |
| Caldwell County | $7,021 | $585 | $10,825 | 9.9% |
| Camden County | $5,123 | $427 | $8,069 | 5.3% |
| Carteret County | $7,945 | $662 | $20,228 | 8.9% |
| Caswell County | $6,540 | $545 | $12,198 | 9.0% |
| Catawba County | $6,633 | $553 | $13,312 | 8.5% |
| Chatham County | $10,066 | $839 | $15,373 | 9.2% |
| Cherokee County | $6,958 | $580 | $10,743 | 10.6% |
| Chowan County | $7,373 | $614 | $12,615 | 10.4% |
| Clay County | $6,958 | $580 | $10,743 | 8.8% |
| Cleveland County | $6,655 | $555 | $10,429 | 9.8% |
| Columbus County | $5,531 | $461 | $13,653 | 9.0% |
| Craven County | $8,942 | $745 | $13,787 | 10.9% |
| Cumberland County | $8,031 | $669 | $12,649 | 11.5% |
| Currituck County | $7,835 | $653 | $12,340 | 7.1% |
| Dare County | $9,915 | $826 | $17,012 | 9.7% |
| Davidson County | $7,835 | $653 | $12,340 | 10.1% |
| Davie County | $9,830 | $819 | $19,727 | 11.0% |
| Duplin County | $7,158 | $597 | $11,351 | 10.5% |
| Durham County | $11,459 | $955 | $17,668 | 11.1% |
| Edgecombe County | $7,551 | $629 | $11,642 | 12.3% |
| Forsyth County | $9,141 | $762 | $14,093 | 11.0% |
| Franklin County | $8,141 | $678 | $16,338 | 9.8% |
| Gaston County | $6,580 | $548 | $10,409 | 8.1% |
| Gates County | $5,630 | $469 | $8,680 | 7.3% |
| Graham County | $6,547 | $546 | $12,211 | 10.3% |
| Granville County | $7,055 | $588 | $14,160 | 8.4% |
| Greene County | $6,691 | $558 | $16,250 | 11.6% |
| Guilford County | $8,020 | $668 | $16,097 | 9.5% |
| Halifax County | $7,193 | $599 | $11,386 | 12.4% |
| Harnett County | $6,934 | $578 | $13,917 | 8.4% |
| Haywood County | $6,633 | $553 | $13,312 | 8.1% |
| Henderson County | $7,839 | $653 | $15,732 | 9.5% |
| Hertford County | $6,466 | $539 | $10,173 | 10.1% |
| Hoke County | $7,604 | $634 | $13,470 | 10.4% |
| Hyde County | $7,604 | $634 | $19,770 | 13.9% |
| Iredell County | $9,045 | $754 | $18,153 | 9.7% |
| Jackson County | $7,932 | $661 | $15,029 | 10.6% |
| Johnston County | $9,075 | $756 | $14,294 | 9.2% |
| Jones County | $7,683 | $640 | $11,846 | 11.0% |
| Lee County | $6,749 | $562 | $11,985 | 9.8% |
| Lenoir County | $7,321 | $610 | $11,347 | 11.6% |
| Lincoln County | $8,488 | $707 | $13,368 | 9.1% |
| Macon County | $6,655 | $555 | $11,529 | 9.3% |
| Madison County | $6,624 | $552 | $10,864 | 8.1% |
| Martin County | $7,321 | $610 | $12,563 | 11.4% |
| McDowell County | $7,932 | $661 | $12,330 | 11.6% |
| Mecklenburg County | $10,402 | $867 | $15,886 | 9.8% |
| Mitchell County | $4,958 | $413 | $8,506 | 6.9% |
| Montgomery County | $6,589 | $549 | $10,782 | 10.3% |
| Moore County | $8,500 | $708 | $18,411 | 8.4% |
| Nash County | $8,161 | $680 | $12,854 | 11.0% |
| New Hanover County | $8,141 | $678 | $16,338 | 8.2% |
| Northampton County | $7,254 | $605 | $12,287 | 11.4% |
| Onslow County | $7,839 | $653 | $15,732 | 10.8% |
| Orange County | $12,080 | $1,007 | $18,448 | 9.4% |
| Pamlico County | $5,243 | $437 | $8,084 | 6.1% |
| Pasquotank County | $7,521 | $627 | $11,844 | 9.6% |
| Pender County | $8,388 | $699 | $12,810 | 8.8% |
| Perquimans County | $6,405 | $534 | $10,112 | 8.1% |
| Person County | $6,691 | $558 | $11,853 | 8.5% |
| Pitt County | $9,467 | $789 | $14,911 | 12.3% |
| Polk County | $7,986 | $666 | $14,276 | 9.9% |
| Randolph County | $7,236 | $603 | $14,523 | 10.2% |
| Richmond County | $6,912 | $576 | $11,944 | 11.8% |
| Robeson County | $6,322 | $527 | $9,887 | 12.3% |
| Rockingham County | $5,630 | $469 | $8,680 | 7.9% |
| Rowan County | $7,236 | $603 | $14,523 | 9.4% |
| Rutherford County | $6,883 | $574 | $12,294 | 11.1% |
| Sampson County | $7,183 | $599 | $12,425 | 10.7% |
| Scotland County | $8,119 | $677 | $11,810 | 15.6% |
| Stanly County | $8,652 | $721 | $12,776 | 10.6% |
| Stokes County | $7,617 | $635 | $11,744 | 10.6% |
| Surry County | $6,655 | $555 | $10,848 | 9.0% |
| Swain County | $7,651 | $638 | $17,812 | 10.1% |
| Transylvania County | $7,321 | $610 | $11,934 | 9.0% |
| Tyrrell County | $6,655 | $555 | $10,662 | 10.6% |
| Union County | $7,085 | $590 | $14,220 | 6.2% |
| Vance County | $7,602 | $634 | $12,333 | 13.3% |
| Wake County | $11,476 | $956 | $17,526 | 8.9% |
| Warren County | $6,052 | $504 | $9,971 | 11.2% |
| Washington County | $7,986 | $666 | $13,124 | 12.5% |
| Watauga County | $9,429 | $786 | $18,118 | 10.8% |
| Wayne County | $7,508 | $626 | $11,826 | 10.3% |
| Wilkes County | $6,655 | $555 | $10,429 | 10.7% |
| Wilson County | $8,652 | $721 | $14,104 | 12.3% |
| Yadkin County | $5,549 | $462 | $8,741 | 7.3% |
| Yancey County | $7,254 | $605 | $12,287 | 9.8% |
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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