Barnstable County, MA
Infant daycare in Barnstable County, MA costs $352 per week ($18,304 per year) for center-based care, and $275 per week for family daycare. With a median household income of $90,447, the childcare burden is 20.2% of income, well above the 7% threshold HUD considers affordable. This is above the national median of $174/wk.
Cost Breakdown by Age Group
| Age Group | Center/Wk | Center/Yr | Family/Wk | Family/Yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infant (0-1) | $352 | $18,304 | $275 | $14,300 |
| Toddler (1-2) | $320 | $16,640 | $250 | $13,000 |
| Preschool (3-5) | $270 | $14,040 | $250 | $13,000 |
| School-Age (6+) | $210 | $10,920 | $250 | $13,000 |
Barnstable County Childcare FAQ
Center-based infant care in Barnstable County costs $352 per week ($18,304 per year). Family-based infant care costs $275 per week ($14,300 per year). Data from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices.
The Childcare Burden Index for Barnstable County is 20.2%, rated "Severe". This means a family earning the median income of $90,447 would spend about 20.2% of their income on infant center-based childcare.
The national median weekly infant center care cost is $174. Barnstable County at $352/wk is 103% above the national median. Annualized, infant center care in Barnstable County costs $18,304 per year.
In Barnstable County, MA, the most affordable option is typically family-based (home) daycare. Infant family daycare costs $275/wk compared to $352/wk for center-based. For preschool-age children, family daycare is $250/wk vs $270/wk at a center. School-age after-care is the least expensive category at $250/wk (family) or $210/wk (center).
Read the Massachusetts guide
Statewide cost trends, subsidies, tax credits, daycare alternatives, and how to afford daycare in Massachusetts.
Daycare Cost in Massachusetts 2026: A Complete Guide for Parents →More Counties in MA
Childcare costs are weekly median prices from the DOL. Burden Index = annual infant center care / median household income.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. childcare prices distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. counties with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau Childcare Prices, 2026.