New Castle County, DE
Infant daycare in New Castle County, DE costs $280 per week ($14,575 per year) for center-based care, and $182 per week for family daycare. With a median household income of $85,309, the childcare burden is 17.1% 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) | $280 | $14,575 | $182 | $9,447 |
| Toddler (1-2) | $199 | $10,359 | $154 | $7,990 |
| Preschool (3-5) | $210 | $10,934 | $155 | $8,065 |
| School-Age (6+) | $106 | $5,522 | $86 | $4,481 |
New Castle County Childcare FAQ
Center-based infant care in New Castle County costs $280 per week ($14,575 per year). Family-based infant care costs $182 per week ($9,447 per year). Data from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices.
The Childcare Burden Index for New Castle County is 17.1%, rated "High". This means a family earning the median income of $85,309 would spend about 17.1% of their income on infant center-based childcare.
The national median weekly infant center care cost is $174. New Castle County at $280/wk is 61% above the national median. Annualized, infant center care in New Castle County costs $14,575 per year.
In New Castle County, DE, the most affordable option is typically family-based (home) daycare. Infant family daycare costs $182/wk compared to $280/wk for center-based. For preschool-age children, family daycare is $155/wk vs $210/wk at a center. School-age after-care is the least expensive category at $86/wk (family) or $106/wk (center).
Read the Delaware guide
Statewide cost trends, subsidies, tax credits, daycare alternatives, and how to afford daycare in Delaware.
Daycare Cost in Delaware 2026: A Complete Guide for Parents →More Counties in DE
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.
Every number on this page links back to the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
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.