Mississippi Childcare Cost Rankings

Holmes County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in Mississippi at $155/wk ($8,046 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 27.9% of median household income ($28,818).

Lafayette County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in Mississippi at $110/wk ($5,721 per year). Across the 82 Mississippi counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 41%.

The median weekly infant center care cost in Mississippi is $118. The U.S. national median is $174, so Mississippi runs 32% below the national median. Annualized, the typical Mississippi family pays $6,126 per year for infant center daycare.

33 of 82 Mississippi counties (40%) 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. 3 Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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.