Colorado Childcare Cost Rankings
Colorado counties ranked by infant center care cost, from most expensive to most affordable. The most expensive is Denver County at $430/wk, and the most affordable is Sedgwick County at $104/wk.
Across 62 Colorado counties with DOL pricing data, the median weekly cost of infant center daycare is $238 ($12,350 per year). That puts Colorado 37% above the U.S. national median of $174/wk. Within the state, prices vary widely — Denver County runs $430/wk while Sedgwick County runs just $104/wk, a 314% 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 Colorado, 45 of 62 ranked counties (73%) carry a "High" or "Severe" burden — a family earning the local median income would spend 15% or more of gross pay on daycare alone. 19 Colorado 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 Colorado county is Huerfano County at 29.9% 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
Denver County, CO
Median income $85,853
Most expensive county for infant center daycare in Colorado at $430/wk ($22,357/yr). Family-based daycare runs $223/wk, about 48% cheaper. Childcare burden of 26.0% well exceeds the 7% HHS affordability threshold.
Jefferson County, CO
Median income $103,167
Second-most expensive at $415/wk for infant center care. Infant family daycare $271/wk ($14,089/yr).
Boulder County, CO
Median income $99,770
Third-most expensive at $404/wk. Preschool center care drops to $348/wk as ratios loosen.
| Rank | County | Infant/Wk | Annual | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Denver County | $430 | $22,357 | 26.0% Severe |
| #2 | Jefferson County | $415 | $21,590 | 20.9% Severe |
| #3 | Boulder County | $404 | $21,000 | 21.0% Severe |
| #4 | San Miguel County | $403 | $20,961 | 28.8% Severe |
| #5 | Douglas County | $401 | $20,862 | 15.0% High |
| #6 | Adams County | $392 | $20,405 | 23.6% Severe |
| #7 | Larimer County | $391 | $20,345 | 23.3% Severe |
| #8 | Park County | $386 | $20,077 | 23.6% Severe |
| #9 | Summit County | $380 | $19,744 | 19.6% High |
| #10 | Arapahoe County | $377 | $19,625 | 21.3% Severe |
| #11 | Ouray County | $365 | $18,996 | 24.1% Severe |
| #12 | El Paso County | $350 | $18,223 | 22.0% Severe |
| #13 | Grand County | $342 | $17,776 | 22.4% Severe |
| #14 | Broomfield County | $341 | $17,753 | 15.1% High |
| #15 | Weld County | $341 | $17,740 | 19.9% High |
| #16 | Eagle County | $333 | $17,295 | 17.5% High |
| #17 | Routt County | $332 | $17,246 | 18.1% High |
| #18 | Garfield County | $297 | $15,462 | 18.7% High |
| #19 | Gilpin County | $294 | $15,306 | 16.0% High |
| #20 | San Juan County | $294 | $15,306 | 22.7% Severe |
| #21 | Moffat County | $291 | $15,153 | 23.7% Severe |
| #22 | La Plata County | $286 | $14,872 | 18.2% High |
| #23 | Gunnison County | $285 | $14,825 | 19.4% High |
| #24 | Huerfano County | $285 | $14,825 | 29.9% Severe |
| #25 | Chaffee County | $283 | $14,724 | 22.4% Severe |
| #26 | Teller County | $283 | $14,713 | 21.1% Severe |
| #27 | Elbert County | $281 | $14,591 | 11.7% Moderate |
| #28 | Clear Creek County | $279 | $14,508 | 16.6% High |
| #29 | Pitkin County | $273 | $14,170 | 14.7% Moderate |
| #30 | Pueblo County | $258 | $13,390 | 22.5% Severe |
| #31 | Montrose County | $238 | $12,350 | 19.7% High |
| #32 | Lake County | $232 | $12,051 | 15.3% High |
| #33 | Archuleta County | $223 | $11,601 | 17.4% High |
| #34 | Custer County | $223 | $11,601 | 17.5% High |
| #35 | Mesa County | $223 | $11,575 | 17.0% High |
| #36 | Dolores County | $219 | $11,404 | 17.6% High |
| #37 | Montezuma County | $194 | $10,104 | 16.5% High |
| #38 | Saguache County | $187 | $9,729 | 18.7% High |
| #39 | Washington County | $186 | $9,688 | 16.4% High |
| #40 | Rio Blanco County | $186 | $9,672 | 13.8% Moderate |
| #41 | Costilla County | $183 | $9,521 | 27.5% Severe |
| #42 | Crowley County | $182 | $9,485 | 23.3% Severe |
| #43 | Rio Grande County | $179 | $9,305 | 16.2% High |
| #44 | Kit Carson County | $178 | $9,240 | 15.7% High |
| #45 | Mineral County | $176 | $9,175 | 15.6% High |
| #46 | Morgan County | $173 | $8,970 | 12.7% Moderate |
| #47 | Alamosa County | $172 | $8,928 | 17.1% High |
| #48 | Lincoln County | $168 | $8,728 | 14.8% Moderate |
| #49 | Fremont County | $166 | $8,635 | 15.4% High |
| #50 | Logan County | $166 | $8,635 | 15.7% High |
| #51 | Yuma County | $162 | $8,406 | 14.0% Moderate |
| #52 | Delta County | $153 | $7,930 | 14.1% Moderate |
| #53 | Las Animas County | $111 | $5,756 | 11.8% Moderate |
| #54 | Baca County | $104 | $5,400 | 12.8% Moderate |
| #55 | Bent County | $104 | $5,400 | 11.8% Moderate |
| #56 | Cheyenne County | $104 | $5,400 | 8.2% Affordable |
| #57 | Conejos County | $104 | $5,400 | 12.2% Moderate |
| #58 | Kiowa County | $104 | $5,400 | 11.9% Moderate |
| #59 | Otero County | $104 | $5,400 | 11.4% Moderate |
| #60 | Phillips County | $104 | $5,400 | 9.2% Affordable |
| #61 | Prowers County | $104 | $5,400 | 10.9% Moderate |
| #62 | Sedgwick County | $104 | $5,400 | 11.8% Moderate |
2 Counties Without Data
The DOL has not published market rate survey data for these counties.
Colorado Childcare Cost FAQ
Denver County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in Colorado at $430/wk ($22,357 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 26.0% of median household income ($85,853).
Sedgwick County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in Colorado at $104/wk ($5,400 per year). Across the 62 Colorado counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 314%.
The median weekly infant center care cost in Colorado is $238. The U.S. national median is $174, so Colorado runs 37% above the national median. Annualized, the typical Colorado family pays $12,350 per year for infant center daycare.
45 of 62 Colorado counties (73%) 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. 19 Colorado 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 Colorado 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.