Illinois Childcare Cost Rankings
Illinois counties ranked by infant center care cost, from most expensive to most affordable. The most expensive is DuPage County at $374/wk, and the most affordable is Hamilton County at $131/wk.
Across 58 Illinois counties with DOL pricing data, the median weekly cost of infant center daycare is $236 ($12,289 per year). That puts Illinois 36% above the U.S. national median of $174/wk. Within the state, prices vary widely — DuPage County runs $374/wk while Hamilton County runs just $131/wk, a 186% 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 Illinois, 46 of 58 ranked counties (79%) carry a "High" or "Severe" burden — a family earning the local median income would spend 15% or more of gross pay on daycare alone. 16 Illinois 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 Illinois county is Knox County at 32.2% 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
DuPage County, IL
Median income $107,035
Most expensive county for infant center daycare in Illinois at $374/wk ($19,465/yr). Family-based daycare runs $235/wk, about 37% cheaper. Childcare burden of 18.2% well exceeds the 7% HHS affordability threshold.
Kane County, IL
Median income $96,400
Second-most expensive at $328/wk for infant center care. Infant family daycare $235/wk ($12,194/yr).
McHenry County, IL
Median income $100,101
Third-most expensive at $316/wk. Preschool center care drops to $281/wk as ratios loosen.
| Rank | County | Infant/Wk | Annual | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | DuPage County | $374 | $19,465 | 18.2% High |
| #2 | Kane County | $328 | $17,070 | 17.7% High |
| #3 | McHenry County | $316 | $16,408 | 16.4% High |
| #4 | McLean County | $314 | $16,311 | 21.6% Severe |
| #5 | Knox County | $311 | $16,161 | 32.2% Severe |
| #6 | Champaign County | $309 | $16,092 | 26.3% Severe |
| #7 | Lake County | $305 | $15,881 | 15.2% High |
| #8 | Will County | $304 | $15,825 | 15.3% High |
| #9 | DeKalb County | $293 | $15,222 | 22.2% Severe |
| #10 | Boone County | $288 | $14,993 | 18.6% High |
| #11 | Madison County | $288 | $14,993 | 20.9% Severe |
| #12 | Kendall County | $286 | $14,868 | 14.0% Moderate |
| #13 | Rock Island County | $282 | $14,647 | 22.7% Severe |
| #14 | Winnebago County | $282 | $14,647 | 23.7% Severe |
| #15 | Tazewell County | $280 | $14,577 | 19.5% High |
| #16 | Peoria County | $279 | $14,487 | 22.8% Severe |
| #17 | Cook County | $278 | $14,473 | 18.5% High |
| #18 | Woodford County | $267 | $13,891 | 17.3% High |
| #19 | Grundy County | $264 | $13,734 | 15.3% High |
| #20 | Jackson County | $264 | $13,734 | 30.6% Severe |
| #21 | LaSalle County | $264 | $13,734 | 20.2% Severe |
| #22 | Wayne County | $264 | $13,734 | 25.7% Severe |
| #23 | White County | $264 | $13,734 | 25.2% Severe |
| #24 | Williamson County | $264 | $13,734 | 22.8% Severe |
| #25 | Ogle County | $255 | $13,260 | 17.5% High |
| #26 | Jefferson County | $244 | $12,694 | 21.7% Severe |
| #27 | Lee County | $244 | $12,694 | 19.7% High |
| #28 | St. Clair County | $238 | $12,376 | 18.0% High |
| #29 | Whiteside County | $236 | $12,289 | 19.6% High |
| #30 | Macon County | $231 | $12,008 | 20.1% Severe |
| #31 | Randolph County | $231 | $12,001 | 18.8% High |
| #32 | Henry County | $227 | $11,796 | 17.8% High |
| #33 | Morgan County | $226 | $11,727 | 19.2% High |
| #34 | Saline County | $224 | $11,654 | 22.5% Severe |
| #35 | Adams County | $214 | $11,134 | 17.5% High |
| #36 | Bureau County | $207 | $10,773 | 16.8% High |
| #37 | Kankakee County | $202 | $10,487 | 16.0% High |
| #38 | Monroe County | $201 | $10,435 | 10.4% Moderate |
| #39 | Macoupin County | $197 | $10,267 | 15.9% High |
| #40 | Sangamon County | $196 | $10,185 | 14.2% Moderate |
| #41 | Bond County | $191 | $9,921 | 16.9% High |
| #42 | Franklin County | $191 | $9,921 | 19.4% High |
| #43 | Montgomery County | $191 | $9,921 | 16.1% High |
| #44 | Moultrie County | $191 | $9,921 | 13.6% Moderate |
| #45 | Menard County | $190 | $9,865 | 11.6% Moderate |
| #46 | Fulton County | $184 | $9,591 | 16.8% High |
| #47 | Mercer County | $184 | $9,574 | 14.3% Moderate |
| #48 | Clinton County | $184 | $9,560 | 12.2% Moderate |
| #49 | Livingston County | $177 | $9,227 | 13.5% Moderate |
| #50 | Perry County | $177 | $9,227 | 16.4% High |
| #51 | Vermilion County | $177 | $9,227 | 17.5% High |
| #52 | Coles County | $173 | $8,995 | 16.7% High |
| #53 | Marion County | $165 | $8,562 | 14.5% Moderate |
| #54 | McDonough County | $163 | $8,496 | 17.4% High |
| #55 | Christian County | $155 | $8,083 | 14.2% Moderate |
| #56 | Fayette County | $154 | $7,990 | 15.4% High |
| #57 | Effingham County | $151 | $7,872 | 10.8% Moderate |
| #58 | Hamilton County | $131 | $6,801 | 11.2% Moderate |
44 Counties Without Data
The DOL has not published market rate survey data for these counties.
Illinois Childcare Cost FAQ
DuPage County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in Illinois at $374/wk ($19,465 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 18.2% of median household income ($107,035).
Hamilton County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in Illinois at $131/wk ($6,801 per year). Across the 58 Illinois counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 186%.
The median weekly infant center care cost in Illinois is $236. The U.S. national median is $174, so Illinois runs 36% above the national median. Annualized, the typical Illinois family pays $12,289 per year for infant center daycare.
46 of 58 Illinois counties (79%) 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. 16 Illinois 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 Illinois 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.