Pierce County, WA
Infant daycare in Pierce County, WA costs $328 per week ($17,034 per year) for center-based care, and $254 per week for family daycare. With a median household income of $91,486, the childcare burden is 18.6% 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) | $328 | $17,034 | $254 | $13,200 |
| Toddler (1-2) | $249 | $12,951 | $205 | $10,672 |
| Preschool (3-5) | $249 | $12,951 | $209 | $10,872 |
| School-Age (6+) | $374 | $19,472 | $195 | $10,160 |
Pierce County Childcare FAQ
Center-based infant care in Pierce County costs $328 per week ($17,034 per year). Family-based infant care costs $254 per week ($13,200 per year). Data from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices.
The Childcare Burden Index for Pierce County is 18.6%, rated "High". This means a family earning the median income of $91,486 would spend about 18.6% of their income on infant center-based childcare.
The national median weekly infant center care cost is $174. Pierce County at $328/wk is 89% above the national median. Annualized, infant center care in Pierce County costs $17,034 per year.
In Pierce County, WA, the most affordable option is typically family-based (home) daycare. Infant family daycare costs $254/wk compared to $328/wk for center-based. For preschool-age children, family daycare is $209/wk vs $249/wk at a center. School-age after-care is the least expensive category at $195/wk (family) or $374/wk (center).
Read the Washington guide
Statewide cost trends, subsidies, tax credits, daycare alternatives, and how to afford daycare in Washington.
Daycare Cost in Washington 2026: A Complete Guide for Parents →More Counties in WA
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.
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.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. counties. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau Childcare Prices, 2026.