Santa Cruz County, CA vs Essex County, MA
Side-by-side childcare cost comparison. Infant center care costs $477/wk in Santa Cruz County and $462/wk in Essex County.
| Metric | Santa Cruz County, CA | Essex County, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Infant Center (wk) | $477 | $462 |
| Infant Family (wk) | $408 | $250 |
| Toddler Center (wk) | $326 | $409 |
| Toddler Family (wk) | $335 | $230 |
| Preschool Center (wk) | $256 | $310 |
| Preschool Family (wk) | $314 | $200 |
| School-Age Center (wk) | $142 | $215 |
| School-Age Family (wk) | $227 | $214 |
| Median Income | $104,409 | $94,378 |
| Burden Index | 23.8% | 25.4% |
Annual Cost Comparison (Infant Center)
Santa Cruz County
$24,798/yr
Essex County
$24,001/yr
Last updated:
The side-by-side above pulls the the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices data for both entity A and entity B. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for entity A versus entity B, and which differences are large enough to influence a real decision.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual entity A and entity B detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau Childcare Prices, 2026.