Idaho Childcare Cost Rankings

Ada County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in Idaho at $208/wk ($10,816 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 12.9% of median household income ($83,881).

Custer County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in Idaho at $106/wk ($5,520 per year). Across the 44 Idaho counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 96%.

The median weekly infant center care cost in Idaho is $127. The U.S. national median is $174, so Idaho runs 27% below the national median. Annualized, the typical Idaho family pays $6,602 per year for infant center daycare.

4 of 44 Idaho counties (9%) 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. 0 Idaho 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 Idaho 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.