Wilkes County, NC
Infant daycare in Wilkes County, NC costs $183 per week ($9,524 per year) for center-based care, and $126 per week for family daycare. With a median household income of $49,119, the childcare burden is 19.4% 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) | $183 | $9,524 | $126 | $6,527 |
| Toddler (1-2) | $159 | $8,266 | $131 | $6,827 |
| Preschool (3-5) | $109 | $5,662 | $109 | $5,689 |
| School-Age (6+) | $59 | $3,068 | $62 | $3,226 |
Wilkes County Childcare FAQ
Center-based infant care in Wilkes County costs $183 per week ($9,524 per year). Family-based infant care costs $126 per week ($6,527 per year). Data from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices.
The Childcare Burden Index for Wilkes County is 19.4%, rated "High". This means a family earning the median income of $49,119 would spend about 19.4% of their income on infant center-based childcare.
The national median weekly infant center care cost is $174. Wilkes County at $183/wk is 6% above the national median. Annualized, infant center care in Wilkes County costs $9,524 per year.
In Wilkes County, NC, the most affordable option is typically family-based (home) daycare. Infant family daycare costs $126/wk compared to $183/wk for center-based. For preschool-age children, family daycare is $109/wk vs $109/wk at a center. School-age after-care is the least expensive category at $62/wk (family) or $59/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.
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
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.