California Childcare Cost Rankings
California counties ranked by infant center care cost, from most expensive to most affordable. The most expensive is San Francisco County at $607/wk, and the most affordable is Imperial County at $222/wk.
Across 58 California counties with DOL pricing data, the median weekly cost of infant center daycare is $354 ($18,410 per year). That puts California 104% above the U.S. national median of $174/wk. Within the state, prices vary widely — San Francisco County runs $607/wk while Imperial County runs just $222/wk, a 174% 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 California, 57 of 58 ranked counties (98%) carry a "High" or "Severe" burden — a family earning the local median income would spend 15% or more of gross pay on daycare alone. 37 California 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 California county is Humboldt County at 32.9% 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
San Francisco County, CA
Median income $136,689
Most expensive county for infant center daycare in California at $607/wk ($31,544/yr). Family-based daycare runs $395/wk, about 35% cheaper. Childcare burden of 23.1% well exceeds the 7% HHS affordability threshold.
San Mateo County, CA
Median income $149,907
Second-most expensive at $555/wk for infant center care. Infant family daycare $375/wk ($19,501/yr).
Marin County, CA
Median income $142,019
Third-most expensive at $548/wk. Preschool center care drops to $433/wk as ratios loosen.
| Rank | County | Infant/Wk | Annual | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | San Francisco County | $607 | $31,544 | 23.1% Severe |
| #2 | San Mateo County | $555 | $28,837 | 19.2% High |
| #3 | Marin County | $548 | $28,504 | 20.1% Severe |
| #4 | Santa Clara County | $527 | $27,411 | 17.8% High |
| #5 | Alameda County | $516 | $26,827 | 21.9% Severe |
| #6 | Contra Costa County | $482 | $25,052 | 20.9% Severe |
| #7 | Santa Cruz County | $477 | $24,798 | 23.8% Severe |
| #8 | Santa Barbara County | $453 | $23,532 | 25.5% Severe |
| #9 | El Dorado County | $450 | $23,398 | 23.6% Severe |
| #10 | Placer County | $449 | $23,344 | 21.3% Severe |
| #11 | Ventura County | $425 | $22,085 | 21.6% Severe |
| #12 | Solano County | $424 | $22,030 | 22.7% Severe |
| #13 | Fresno County | $416 | $21,611 | 31.9% Severe |
| #14 | Riverside County | $405 | $21,043 | 24.9% Severe |
| #15 | Monterey County | $403 | $20,953 | 23.0% Severe |
| #16 | Orange County | $394 | $20,473 | 18.7% High |
| #17 | Yolo County | $387 | $20,135 | 23.7% Severe |
| #18 | San Joaquin County | $387 | $20,108 | 24.3% Severe |
| #19 | San Benito County | $386 | $20,071 | 19.2% High |
| #20 | San Bernardino County | $384 | $19,981 | 25.8% Severe |
| #21 | San Diego County | $379 | $19,719 | 20.3% Severe |
| #22 | Napa County | $377 | $19,608 | 18.5% High |
| #23 | Mono County | $370 | $19,237 | 23.4% Severe |
| #24 | Humboldt County | $366 | $19,044 | 32.9% Severe |
| #25 | Yuba County | $365 | $18,987 | 28.5% Severe |
| #26 | San Luis Obispo County | $361 | $18,786 | 20.8% Severe |
| #27 | Inyo County | $361 | $18,765 | 29.6% Severe |
| #28 | Alpine County | $356 | $18,509 | 18.3% High |
| #29 | Butte County | $354 | $18,410 | 27.9% Severe |
| #30 | Kern County | $353 | $18,337 | 28.7% Severe |
| #31 | Sacramento County | $347 | $18,040 | 21.5% Severe |
| #32 | Madera County | $332 | $17,239 | 23.4% Severe |
| #33 | Nevada County | $317 | $16,469 | 20.7% Severe |
| #34 | Stanislaus County | $316 | $16,449 | 22.0% Severe |
| #35 | Sutter County | $307 | $15,947 | 21.9% Severe |
| #36 | Calaveras County | $291 | $15,131 | 19.5% High |
| #37 | Mendocino County | $278 | $14,459 | 23.6% Severe |
| #38 | Tuolumne County | $269 | $14,010 | 19.9% High |
| #39 | Siskiyou County | $265 | $13,802 | 25.6% Severe |
| #40 | Colusa County | $265 | $13,768 | 19.8% High |
| #41 | Lake County | $261 | $13,594 | 24.2% Severe |
| #42 | Kings County | $261 | $13,547 | 19.8% High |
| #43 | Los Angeles County | $257 | $13,363 | 16.0% High |
| #44 | Mariposa County | $254 | $13,224 | 22.0% Severe |
| #45 | Shasta County | $248 | $12,910 | 18.9% High |
| #46 | Merced County | $245 | $12,716 | 19.6% High |
| #47 | Sonoma County | $243 | $12,647 | 12.7% Moderate |
| #48 | Tulare County | $240 | $12,494 | 19.4% High |
| #49 | Glenn County | $238 | $12,387 | 19.3% High |
| #50 | Tehama County | $236 | $12,261 | 20.8% Severe |
| #51 | Amador County | $235 | $12,218 | 16.3% High |
| #52 | Del Norte County | $224 | $11,670 | 19.1% High |
| #53 | Lassen County | $224 | $11,670 | 19.6% High |
| #54 | Modoc County | $224 | $11,670 | 21.2% Severe |
| #55 | Plumas County | $224 | $11,670 | 17.2% High |
| #56 | Sierra County | $224 | $11,670 | 19.1% High |
| #57 | Trinity County | $224 | $11,670 | 24.7% Severe |
| #58 | Imperial County | $222 | $11,533 | 21.4% Severe |
California Childcare Cost FAQ
San Francisco County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in California at $607/wk ($31,544 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 23.1% of median household income ($136,689).
Imperial County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in California at $222/wk ($11,533 per year). Across the 58 California counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 174%.
The median weekly infant center care cost in California is $354. The U.S. national median is $174, so California runs 104% above the national median. Annualized, the typical California family pays $18,410 per year for infant center daycare.
57 of 58 California counties (98%) 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. 37 California 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 California 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.