Durham County, NC
Infant daycare in Durham County, NC costs $317 per week ($16,487 per year) for center-based care, and $228 per week for family daycare. With a median household income of $74,927, the childcare burden is 22.0% 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) | $317 | $16,487 | $228 | $11,867 |
| Toddler (1-2) | $239 | $12,452 | $202 | $10,525 |
| Preschool (3-5) | $188 | $9,795 | $191 | $9,956 |
| School-Age (6+) | $102 | $5,307 | $103 | $5,377 |
Durham County Childcare FAQ
Center-based infant care in Durham County costs $317 per week ($16,487 per year). Family-based infant care costs $228 per week ($11,867 per year). Data from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices.
The Childcare Burden Index for Durham County is 22.0%, rated "Severe". This means a family earning the median income of $74,927 would spend about 22.0% of their income on infant center-based childcare.
The national median weekly infant center care cost is $174. Durham County at $317/wk is 83% above the national median. Annualized, infant center care in Durham County costs $16,487 per year.
In Durham County, NC, the most affordable option is typically family-based (home) daycare. Infant family daycare costs $228/wk compared to $317/wk for center-based. For preschool-age children, family daycare is $191/wk vs $188/wk at a center. School-age after-care is the least expensive category at $103/wk (family) or $102/wk (center).
Read the North Carolina guide
Statewide cost trends, subsidies, tax credits, daycare alternatives, and how to afford daycare in North Carolina.
Daycare Cost in North Carolina 2026: A Complete Guide for Parents →More Counties in NC
Childcare costs are weekly median prices from the DOL. Burden Index = annual infant center care / median household income.
this entity is one of the data points covered by this site’s U.S. childcare prices dataset. The detail above comes directly from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices; the context that follows situates the headline numbers against the broader distribution across U.S. counties.
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.