Can a typical family afford childcare in Yellowstone County, MT?

For most families, no. At $11,788/yr (16.3% of the $72,300 median household income), infant center care in Yellowstone County costs 2.3× the 7% HHS affordability threshold. A household would need to earn roughly $168,400/yr — about $96,100 above the local median — for this care to count as affordable. Even cheaper family-based home care runs 13.2% of income, still above the 7% line.

What income do you need to afford daycare in Yellowstone County, MT?

For infant center care ($11,788/yr) to stay within the 7% HHS affordability threshold, a household would need to earn about $168,400 a year. The local median household income is $72,300, a gap of $96,100. These figures cover one child; a second child in care roughly doubles the income you'd need.

What's cheaper, a daycare center or family daycare in Yellowstone County?

Family-based (home) daycare is the cheaper option in Yellowstone County. Infant family daycare runs $184/wk versus $227/wk for a center — about 19% less per week. Annualized, that's $2,245 in savings per year. Center-based care offers more structured curricula and staff redundancy; family daycare is run out of a provider's home with smaller group sizes and often more flexible hours.

How much does childcare cost in Yellowstone County, MT?

Infant center-based childcare in Yellowstone County, MT costs $227 per week ($11,788 per year), based on DOL data. Family-based infant care is $184 per week ($9,543 per year). With a median household income of $72,300, the childcare burden index is 16.3% of income. The national median weekly infant center care cost is $174 for comparison.

How does Yellowstone County compare to the rest of MT?

Yellowstone County is one of the counties tracked in MT for the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices. See the full state ranking for direct comparison.

Is Childcare Affordable in Yellowstone County, MT?

No — infant childcare in Yellowstone County, MT is not affordable by the federal benchmark. At $11,788 per year, center-based infant care consumes 16.3% of the $72,300 median household income — 2.3× the 7% the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services treats as affordable. A household would need to earn about $168,400 a year ($96,100 more than the local median) for this care to fall under the 7% line.

The Affordability Math

Affordability isn't about the sticker price — it's the share of income childcare eats. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sets the line at 7% of household income. In Yellowstone County, infant center care costs $11,788/yr against a median household income of $72,300, a burden of 16.3% — 2.3× the 7% ceiling.

To bring infant center care under the 7% line, a Yellowstone County household would need to earn about $168,400/yr — roughly $96,100 above the local median of $72,300. Put differently, a median-income family pays 16.3% of everything they earn before tax just for one infant in center-based care.

The cheapest path is family-based home care at $184/wk ($9,543/yr), which works out to 13.2% of median income — still above the 7% threshold, but 19% cheaper than a center. Income-eligible families can also apply for the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidy, which caps copays at 7% of income by design — see the subsidy options below.

Affordability Measure	Value
Burden Index (infant center)	16.3% (High)
HHS Affordability Threshold	7.0%
Income Needed to Be Affordable	$168,400/yr
Median Household Income	$72,300
Family-Care Burden (cheapest)	13.2%

Cost by Care Type

Age Group	Center/Wk	Family/Wk
Infant (0-1)	$227	$184
Toddler (1-2)	$237	$188
Preschool (3-5)	$203	$188
School-Age (6+)	$203	$174

How does Yellowstone County compare?

At $227/wk for infant center care, Yellowstone County runs 31% above the national median of $174/wk.

The Childcare Burden Index here is 16.3% of median household income — a high burden, more than double the 7% HHS affordability threshold.

For families looking to lower the bill, family-based (home) daycare in Yellowstone County runs $184/wk for infants — about 19% less than center-based care, or $2,245 in annual savings. School-age care is the cheapest category at $203/wk (center) or $174/wk (family).

View full Yellowstone County childcare data →See all MT county rankings →Most expensive childcare areas →Try the affordability calculator →

More about Yellowstone County

How much does childcare cost in Yellowstone County, MT? →

This answer pulls from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices, the authoritative federal source for U.S. childcare prices. The headline number above is the direct answer; what follows is the additional context most readers need to use the answer for a real decision rather than just a fact lookup.

For readers turning this answer into action: cross-reference against the underlying the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices record before acting on time-sensitive decisions. The site renders the data as it was published; subsequent revisions can shift the picture, and the live federal data is always the authoritative current reference.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau Childcare Prices, 2026.