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 $8,255 a year in the typical county in West Virginia, or $688 a month, 2.7% more than the $8,040 for the typical county nationally. Care for a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old comes to about $16,510 a year. The cost of care for one preschooler is 12.8% 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, none of West Virginia's 55 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 15.0% of the total in the typical county. In 6 counties, 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 West Virginia costs.
Care for a 4-year-old costs most in Hampshire County ($10,824), Preston County ($10,819) and Jackson County ($10,801), and least in Webster County ($7,422), Calhoun County ($7,453) and Roane County ($7,494). Metro counties are priced at child care centers, other counties at home-based family child care.
| Barbour County | $7,811 | $651 | $15,622 | 12.3% |
| Berkeley County | $10,724 | $894 | $20,200 | 11.9% |
| Boone County | $10,637 | $886 | $20,449 | 15.0% |
| Braxton County | $7,874 | $656 | $15,749 | 16.2% |
| Brooke County | $9,311 | $776 | $17,625 | 12.1% |
| Cabell County | $9,410 | $784 | $17,727 | 12.8% |
| Calhoun County | $7,453 | $621 | $14,905 | 15.7% |
| Clay County | $8,036 | $670 | $15,569 | 14.1% |
| Doddridge County | $7,527 | $627 | $15,054 | 9.5% |
| Fayette County | $10,070 | $839 | $19,115 | 14.8% |
| Gilmer County | $7,839 | $653 | $15,678 | 13.5% |
| Grant County | $7,685 | $640 | $15,369 | 10.2% |
| Greenbrier County | $10,179 | $848 | $18,425 | 15.3% |
| Hampshire County | $10,824 | $902 | $20,814 | 14.2% |
| Hancock County | $10,035 | $836 | $19,007 | 12.7% |
| Hardy County | $8,729 | $727 | $17,458 | 14.1% |
| Harrison County | $10,092 | $841 | $18,585 | 12.9% |
| Jackson County | $10,801 | $900 | $20,503 | 14.0% |
| Jefferson County | $10,176 | $848 | $19,082 | 8.6% |
| Kanawha County | $9,541 | $795 | $17,986 | 12.5% |
| Lewis County | $8,015 | $668 | $16,031 | 11.2% |
| Lincoln County | $8,547 | $712 | $16,559 | 14.8% |
| Logan County | $8,249 | $687 | $16,498 | 14.9% |
| Marion County | $10,309 | $859 | $18,931 | 12.3% |
| Marshall County | $9,708 | $809 | $18,392 | 13.5% |
| Mason County | $7,816 | $651 | $15,632 | 11.1% |
| McDowell County | $7,809 | $651 | $15,618 | 19.9% |
| Mercer County | $8,198 | $683 | $16,396 | 12.4% |
| Mineral County | $10,495 | $875 | $19,934 | 12.0% |
| Mingo County | $7,554 | $630 | $15,109 | 14.7% |
| Monongalia County | $9,363 | $780 | $17,577 | 9.1% |
| Monroe County | $7,983 | $665 | $15,966 | 11.7% |
| Morgan County | $10,795 | $900 | $20,458 | 14.2% |
| Nicholas County | $7,930 | $661 | $15,859 | 10.9% |
| Ohio County | $8,930 | $744 | $16,806 | 10.2% |
| Pendleton County | $7,633 | $636 | $15,267 | 11.6% |
| Pleasants County | $7,553 | $629 | $15,106 | 9.8% |
| Pocahontas County | $8,013 | $668 | $16,026 | 13.7% |
| Preston County | $10,819 | $902 | $20,547 | 14.4% |
| Putnam County | $9,918 | $827 | $18,674 | 10.6% |
| Raleigh County | $10,144 | $845 | $19,209 | 14.8% |
| Randolph County | $8,168 | $681 | $16,335 | 11.8% |
| Ritchie County | $7,736 | $645 | $15,472 | 12.7% |
| Roane County | $7,494 | $625 | $14,988 | 14.4% |
| Summers County | $8,502 | $709 | $17,004 | 13.1% |
| Taylor County | $8,152 | $679 | $16,305 | 12.2% |
| Tucker County | $7,851 | $654 | $15,701 | 11.1% |
| Tyler County | $8,118 | $677 | $16,235 | 10.0% |
| Upshur County | $8,255 | $688 | $16,510 | 12.3% |
| Wayne County | $10,348 | $862 | $19,627 | 14.3% |
| Webster County | $7,422 | $619 | $14,843 | 14.9% |
| Wetzel County | $8,258 | $688 | $16,516 | 12.0% |
| Wirt County | $7,991 | $666 | $15,483 | 13.1% |
| Wood County | $9,767 | $814 | $18,453 | 13.0% |
| Wyoming County | $8,166 | $681 | $16,331 | 14.9% |
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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