Louisiana Childcare Cost Rankings
Louisiana counties ranked by infant center care cost, from most expensive to most affordable. The most expensive is LaSalle Parish at $160/wk, and the most affordable is Pointe Coupee Parish at $120/wk.
Across 64 Louisiana counties with DOL pricing data, the median weekly cost of infant center daycare is $143 ($7,453 per year). That puts Louisiana 17% below the U.S. national median of $174/wk. Within the state, prices vary widely — LaSalle Parish runs $160/wk while Pointe Coupee Parish runs just $120/wk, a 33% 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 Louisiana, 28 of 64 ranked counties (44%) carry a "High" or "Severe" burden — a family earning the local median income would spend 15% or more of gross pay on daycare alone. 5 Louisiana 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 Louisiana county is Lincoln Parish at 22.0% 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
LaSalle Parish, LA
Median income $59,926
Most expensive county for infant center daycare in Louisiana at $160/wk ($8,320/yr). Family-based daycare runs $139/wk, about 13% cheaper.
Livingston Parish, LA
Median income $77,978
Second-most expensive at $158/wk for infant center care. Infant family daycare $140/wk ($7,280/yr).
St. Tammany Parish, LA
Median income $76,914
Third-most expensive at $158/wk. Preschool center care drops to $147/wk as ratios loosen.
| Rank | County | Infant/Wk | Annual | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | LaSalle Parish | $160 | $8,320 | 13.9% Moderate |
| #2 | Livingston Parish | $158 | $8,234 | 10.6% Moderate |
| #3 | St. Tammany Parish | $158 | $8,234 | 10.7% Moderate |
| #4 | Tangipahoa Parish | $158 | $8,234 | 14.9% Moderate |
| #5 | Acadia Parish | $158 | $8,233 | 18.3% High |
| #6 | Iberia Parish | $158 | $8,233 | 14.9% Moderate |
| #7 | Lafayette Parish | $158 | $8,233 | 12.4% Moderate |
| #8 | St. Martin Parish | $158 | $8,233 | 16.2% High |
| #9 | Bossier Parish | $157 | $8,164 | 12.6% Moderate |
| #10 | Caddo Parish | $157 | $8,164 | 17.2% High |
| #11 | De Soto Parish | $157 | $8,164 | 16.4% High |
| #12 | Natchitoches Parish | $157 | $8,164 | 19.8% High |
| #13 | Lincoln Parish | $157 | $8,147 | 22.0% Severe |
| #14 | Ouachita Parish | $157 | $8,147 | 16.5% High |
| #15 | Rapides Parish | $157 | $8,147 | 14.7% Moderate |
| #16 | Calcasieu Parish | $153 | $7,973 | 12.4% Moderate |
| #17 | Cameron Parish | $153 | $7,973 | 11.4% Moderate |
| #18 | Jefferson Davis Parish | $153 | $7,973 | 15.2% High |
| #19 | Jefferson Parish | $152 | $7,887 | 12.5% Moderate |
| #20 | Orleans Parish | $152 | $7,887 | 15.4% High |
| #21 | Plaquemines Parish | $152 | $7,887 | 10.1% Moderate |
| #22 | St. Bernard Parish | $152 | $7,887 | 14.1% Moderate |
| #23 | Ascension Parish | $150 | $7,800 | 8.3% Affordable |
| #24 | Assumption Parish | $150 | $7,800 | 16.6% High |
| #25 | Lafourche Parish | $150 | $7,800 | 12.7% Moderate |
| #26 | St. Charles Parish | $150 | $7,800 | 9.8% Affordable |
| #27 | St. James Parish | $150 | $7,800 | 12.4% Moderate |
| #28 | St. John the Baptist Parish | $150 | $7,800 | 12.0% Moderate |
| #29 | Terrebonne Parish | $150 | $7,800 | 12.4% Moderate |
| #30 | East Baton Rouge Parish | $143 | $7,453 | 12.0% Moderate |
| #31 | Iberville Parish | $143 | $7,453 | 12.5% Moderate |
| #32 | West Baton Rouge Parish | $143 | $7,453 | 9.3% Affordable |
| #33 | West Feliciana Parish | $143 | $7,453 | 10.4% Moderate |
| #34 | Avoyelles Parish | $133 | $6,933 | 17.9% High |
| #35 | Catahoula Parish | $133 | $6,933 | 14.4% Moderate |
| #36 | Concordia Parish | $133 | $6,933 | 17.8% High |
| #37 | Vernon Parish | $133 | $6,933 | 12.3% Moderate |
| #38 | Winn Parish | $133 | $6,933 | 15.4% High |
| #39 | St. Helena Parish | $133 | $6,932 | 14.9% Moderate |
| #40 | Washington Parish | $133 | $6,932 | 16.6% High |
| #41 | Evangeline Parish | $132 | $6,863 | 19.9% High |
| #42 | St. Landry Parish | $132 | $6,863 | 15.4% High |
| #43 | St. Mary Parish | $132 | $6,863 | 14.5% Moderate |
| #44 | Vermilion Parish | $132 | $6,863 | 12.2% Moderate |
| #45 | Bienville Parish | $132 | $6,847 | 20.0% Severe |
| #46 | Claiborne Parish | $132 | $6,847 | 21.4% Severe |
| #47 | Grant Parish | $132 | $6,847 | 11.9% Moderate |
| #48 | Jackson Parish | $132 | $6,847 | 16.9% High |
| #49 | Red River Parish | $132 | $6,847 | 15.6% High |
| #50 | Sabine Parish | $132 | $6,847 | 16.8% High |
| #51 | Webster Parish | $132 | $6,847 | 20.0% Severe |
| #52 | Caldwell Parish | $130 | $6,760 | 14.8% Moderate |
| #53 | East Carroll Parish | $130 | $6,760 | 21.9% Severe |
| #54 | Franklin Parish | $130 | $6,760 | 16.4% High |
| #55 | Madison Parish | $130 | $6,760 | 19.6% High |
| #56 | Morehouse Parish | $130 | $6,760 | 17.8% High |
| #57 | Richland Parish | $130 | $6,760 | 14.0% Moderate |
| #58 | Tensas Parish | $130 | $6,760 | 19.0% High |
| #59 | Union Parish | $130 | $6,760 | 14.4% Moderate |
| #60 | West Carroll Parish | $130 | $6,760 | 15.0% High |
| #61 | Allen Parish | $127 | $6,618 | 12.5% Moderate |
| #62 | Beauregard Parish | $127 | $6,618 | 9.7% Affordable |
| #63 | East Feliciana Parish | $120 | $6,240 | 9.6% Affordable |
| #64 | Pointe Coupee Parish | $120 | $6,240 | 11.8% Moderate |
Louisiana Childcare Cost FAQ
LaSalle Parish is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in Louisiana at $160/wk ($8,320 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 13.9% of median household income ($59,926).
Pointe Coupee Parish has the lowest infant center daycare cost in Louisiana at $120/wk ($6,240 per year). Across the 64 Louisiana counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 33%.
The median weekly infant center care cost in Louisiana is $143. The U.S. national median is $174, so Louisiana runs 17% below the national median. Annualized, the typical Louisiana family pays $7,453 per year for infant center daycare.
28 of 64 Louisiana counties (44%) 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. 5 Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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.