New Hampshire Childcare Cost Rankings
New Hampshire counties ranked by infant center care cost, from most expensive to most affordable. The most expensive is Rockingham County at $308/wk, and the most affordable is Coos County at $269/wk.
Across 10 New Hampshire counties with DOL pricing data, the median weekly cost of infant center daycare is $287 ($14,926 per year). That puts New Hampshire 65% above the U.S. national median of $174/wk. Within the state, prices vary widely — Rockingham County runs $308/wk while Coos County runs just $269/wk, a 14% 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 New Hampshire, 9 of 10 ranked counties (90%) carry a "High" or "Severe" burden — a family earning the local median income would spend 15% or more of gross pay on daycare alone. 2 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire county is Coos County at 25.3% 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
Rockingham County, NH
Median income $110,225
Most expensive county for infant center daycare in New Hampshire at $308/wk ($15,999/yr). Family-based daycare runs $212/wk, about 31% cheaper.
Hillsborough County, NH
Median income $95,112
Second-most expensive at $300/wk for infant center care. Infant family daycare $206/wk ($10,734/yr).
Strafford County, NH
Median income $83,212
Third-most expensive at $290/wk. Preschool center care drops to $241/wk as ratios loosen.
| Rank | County | Infant/Wk | Annual | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Rockingham County | $308 | $15,999 | 14.5% Moderate |
| #2 | Hillsborough County | $300 | $15,603 | 16.4% High |
| #3 | Strafford County | $290 | $15,098 | 18.1% High |
| #4 | Belknap County | $288 | $14,955 | 18.5% High |
| #5 | Merrimack County | $287 | $14,926 | 16.8% High |
| #6 | Sullivan County | $286 | $14,861 | 21.0% Severe |
| #7 | Cheshire County | $285 | $14,803 | 19.3% High |
| #8 | Grafton County | $284 | $14,785 | 18.5% High |
| #9 | Carroll County | $276 | $14,327 | 18.6% High |
| #10 | Coos County | $269 | $13,992 | 25.3% Severe |
New Hampshire Childcare Cost FAQ
Rockingham County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in New Hampshire at $308/wk ($15,999 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 14.5% of median household income ($110,225).
Coos County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in New Hampshire at $269/wk ($13,992 per year). Across the 10 New Hampshire counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 14%.
The median weekly infant center care cost in New Hampshire is $287. The U.S. national median is $174, so New Hampshire runs 65% above the national median. Annualized, the typical New Hampshire family pays $14,926 per year for infant center daycare.
9 of 10 New Hampshire counties (90%) 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. 2 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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.