Wadena County, MN
Infant daycare in Wadena County, MN costs $175 per week ($9,100 per year) for center-based care, and $128 per week for family daycare. With a median household income of $54,747, the childcare burden is 16.6% 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) | $175 | $9,100 | $128 | $6,673 |
| Toddler (1-2) | $161 | $8,372 | $130 | $6,760 |
| Preschool (3-5) | $147 | $7,644 | $130 | $6,760 |
| School-Age (6+) | $109 | $5,692 | $120 | $6,240 |
Wadena County Childcare FAQ
Center-based infant care in Wadena County costs $175 per week ($9,100 per year). Family-based infant care costs $128 per week ($6,673 per year). Data from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices.
The Childcare Burden Index for Wadena County is 16.6%, rated "High". This means a family earning the median income of $54,747 would spend about 16.6% of their income on infant center-based childcare.
The national median weekly infant center care cost is $174. Wadena County at $175/wk is 1% above the national median. Annualized, infant center care in Wadena County costs $9,100 per year.
In Wadena County, MN, the most affordable option is typically family-based (home) daycare. Infant family daycare costs $128/wk compared to $175/wk for center-based. For preschool-age children, family daycare is $130/wk vs $147/wk at a center. School-age after-care is the least expensive category at $120/wk (family) or $109/wk (center).
Read the Minnesota guide
Statewide cost trends, subsidies, tax credits, daycare alternatives, and how to afford daycare in Minnesota.
Daycare Cost in Minnesota 2026: A Complete Guide for Parents →More Counties in MN
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.