Alabama Childcare Cost Rankings
Alabama counties ranked by infant center care cost, from most expensive to most affordable. The most expensive is Shelby County at $147/wk, and the most affordable is Randolph County at $114/wk.
Across 67 Alabama counties with DOL pricing data, the median weekly cost of infant center daycare is $135 ($7,018 per year). That puts Alabama 22% below the U.S. national median of $174/wk. Within the state, prices vary widely — Shelby County runs $147/wk while Randolph County runs just $114/wk, a 29% gap between most and least expensive county.
The Childcare Burden Index measures annual infant center cost as a share of local median household income. Across Alabama, 19 of 67 ranked counties (28%) carry a "High" or "Severe" burden — a family earning the local median income would spend 15% or more of gross pay on daycare alone. 6 Alabama counties are classified as "Severe" (burden ≥ 20%). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services treats childcare as affordable only when it costs no more than 7% of household income. The single highest-burden Alabama county is Lowndes County at 22.7% of median income.
All figures come from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (2022), with median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS. The DOL collects pricing through state-level market rate surveys conducted under the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program — these are the same numbers state agencies use to set childcare subsidy reimbursement rates.
Top 3 Most Expensive Counties
Shelby County, AL
Median income $90,618
Most expensive county for infant center daycare in Alabama at $147/wk ($7,657/yr). Family-based daycare runs $146/wk, about 1% cheaper.
Jefferson County, AL
Median income $63,595
Second-most expensive at $147/wk for infant center care. Infant family daycare $146/wk ($7,570/yr).
Blount County, AL
Median income $57,440
Third-most expensive at $146/wk. Preschool center care drops to $138/wk as ratios loosen.
| Rank | County | Infant/Wk | Annual | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Shelby County | $147 | $7,657 | 8.4% Affordable |
| #2 | Jefferson County | $147 | $7,635 | 12.0% Moderate |
| #3 | Blount County | $146 | $7,588 | 13.2% Moderate |
| #4 | St. Clair County | $146 | $7,588 | 10.4% Moderate |
| #5 | Walker County | $146 | $7,588 | 14.3% Moderate |
| #6 | Autauga County | $146 | $7,582 | 11.1% Moderate |
| #7 | Bullock County | $146 | $7,582 | 21.0% Severe |
| #8 | Covington County | $146 | $7,582 | 15.5% High |
| #9 | Dallas County | $146 | $7,582 | 20.4% Severe |
| #10 | Elmore County | $146 | $7,582 | 10.3% Moderate |
| #11 | Montgomery County | $146 | $7,566 | 13.3% Moderate |
| #12 | Butler County | $145 | $7,532 | 17.0% High |
| #13 | Chilton County | $145 | $7,532 | 12.1% Moderate |
| #14 | Lowndes County | $145 | $7,532 | 22.7% Severe |
| #15 | Wilcox County | $145 | $7,532 | 19.7% High |
| #16 | Bibb County | $136 | $7,094 | 14.0% Moderate |
| #17 | Marengo County | $136 | $7,094 | 16.5% High |
| #18 | Tuscaloosa County | $136 | $7,094 | 11.5% Moderate |
| #19 | Colbert County | $136 | $7,073 | 12.6% Moderate |
| #20 | Lauderdale County | $136 | $7,073 | 12.6% Moderate |
| #21 | Limestone County | $136 | $7,073 | 8.8% Affordable |
| #22 | Madison County | $136 | $7,073 | 9.1% Affordable |
| #23 | Morgan County | $136 | $7,073 | 11.5% Moderate |
| #24 | Choctaw County | $136 | $7,050 | 16.3% High |
| #25 | Fayette County | $136 | $7,050 | 15.4% High |
| #26 | Greene County | $136 | $7,050 | 21.5% Severe |
| #27 | Hale County | $136 | $7,050 | 19.7% High |
| #28 | Lamar County | $136 | $7,050 | 14.2% Moderate |
| #29 | Marion County | $136 | $7,050 | 14.2% Moderate |
| #30 | Perry County | $136 | $7,050 | 21.8% Severe |
| #31 | Pickens County | $136 | $7,050 | 15.5% High |
| #32 | Sumter County | $136 | $7,050 | 22.2% Severe |
| #33 | Chambers County | $135 | $7,018 | 14.4% Moderate |
| #34 | Lee County | $135 | $7,018 | 11.8% Moderate |
| #35 | Macon County | $135 | $7,018 | 17.0% High |
| #36 | Russell County | $135 | $7,018 | 14.8% Moderate |
| #37 | Cullman County | $135 | $7,016 | 12.1% Moderate |
| #38 | Franklin County | $135 | $7,016 | 14.8% Moderate |
| #39 | Lawrence County | $135 | $7,016 | 12.8% Moderate |
| #40 | Winston County | $135 | $7,016 | 14.2% Moderate |
| #41 | Tallapoosa County | $134 | $6,967 | 13.1% Moderate |
| #42 | Baldwin County | $133 | $6,932 | 9.8% Affordable |
| #43 | Escambia County | $133 | $6,932 | 16.8% High |
| #44 | Mobile County | $133 | $6,932 | 12.5% Moderate |
| #45 | Clarke County | $132 | $6,882 | 14.5% Moderate |
| #46 | Conecuh County | $132 | $6,882 | 17.3% High |
| #47 | Monroe County | $132 | $6,882 | 17.2% High |
| #48 | Washington County | $132 | $6,882 | 13.4% Moderate |
| #49 | Barbour County | $122 | $6,336 | 16.0% High |
| #50 | Coffee County | $122 | $6,336 | 10.2% Moderate |
| #51 | Dale County | $122 | $6,336 | 12.0% Moderate |
| #52 | Houston County | $122 | $6,336 | 11.5% Moderate |
| #53 | Pike County | $122 | $6,336 | 14.9% Moderate |
| #54 | Crenshaw County | $121 | $6,299 | 13.0% Moderate |
| #55 | Geneva County | $121 | $6,299 | 13.2% Moderate |
| #56 | Henry County | $121 | $6,299 | 10.8% Moderate |
| #57 | Etowah County | $118 | $6,152 | 11.8% Moderate |
| #58 | Marshall County | $118 | $6,152 | 10.6% Moderate |
| #59 | Cherokee County | $118 | $6,113 | 13.1% Moderate |
| #60 | DeKalb County | $118 | $6,113 | 12.8% Moderate |
| #61 | Jackson County | $118 | $6,113 | 13.1% Moderate |
| #62 | Calhoun County | $115 | $5,968 | 11.0% Moderate |
| #63 | Talladega County | $115 | $5,968 | 11.4% Moderate |
| #64 | Clay County | $114 | $5,927 | 12.3% Moderate |
| #65 | Cleburne County | $114 | $5,927 | 11.5% Moderate |
| #66 | Coosa County | $114 | $5,927 | 11.3% Moderate |
| #67 | Randolph County | $114 | $5,927 | 11.9% Moderate |
Alabama Childcare Cost FAQ
Shelby County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in Alabama at $147/wk ($7,657 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 8.4% of median household income ($90,618).
Randolph County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in Alabama at $114/wk ($5,927 per year). Across the 67 Alabama counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 29%.
The median weekly infant center care cost in Alabama is $135. The U.S. national median is $174, so Alabama runs 22% below the national median. Annualized, the typical Alabama family pays $7,018 per year for infant center daycare.
19 of 67 Alabama counties (28%) have a Childcare Burden Index of 15% or higher — meaning a family earning the local median income would spend at least 15% of gross income on infant center daycare. 6 Alabama counties are classified as "Severe" (burden ≥ 20%). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services treats childcare as affordable when it costs no more than 7% of household income.
Family-based (home) daycare is typically 20-30% cheaper than center-based care across the country, and Alabama follows the same pattern. Each county page shows the exact infant family vs. infant center weekly rate, plus toddler, preschool, and school-age figures for both setting types. School-age care is usually the cheapest category, since school-age children only need before- and after-school coverage rather than full days.
The this entity category groups every U.S. childcare prices entity sharing this attribute. The list above is the data; the paragraphs below explain what the grouping means against the broader the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices distribution and how to read the relative rankings within the category.
For readers using this category as a starting point, the per-entity detail pages linked from the table above carry the underlying the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices data in full. The category-level view is the filter; the per-entity pages are the actual answer.