New Jersey Childcare Cost Rankings
New Jersey counties ranked by infant center care cost, from most expensive to most affordable. The most expensive is Morris County at $327/wk, and the most affordable is Camden County at $282/wk.
Across 21 New Jersey counties with DOL pricing data, the median weekly cost of infant center daycare is $304 ($15,789 per year). That puts New Jersey 75% above the U.S. national median of $174/wk. Within the state, prices vary widely — Morris County runs $327/wk while Camden County runs just $282/wk, a 16% 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 Jersey, 15 of 21 ranked counties (71%) carry a "High" or "Severe" burden — a family earning the local median income would spend 15% or more of gross pay on daycare alone. 4 New Jersey 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 Jersey county is Cumberland County at 23.9% 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
Morris County, NJ
Median income $130,808
Most expensive county for infant center daycare in New Jersey at $327/wk ($16,984/yr). Family-based daycare runs $213/wk, about 35% cheaper.
Somerset County, NJ
Median income $131,948
Second-most expensive at $326/wk for infant center care. Infant family daycare $207/wk ($10,766/yr).
Hudson County, NJ
Median income $86,854
Third-most expensive at $322/wk. Preschool center care drops to $312/wk as ratios loosen.
| Rank | County | Infant/Wk | Annual | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Morris County | $327 | $16,984 | 13.0% Moderate |
| #2 | Somerset County | $326 | $16,928 | 12.8% Moderate |
| #3 | Hudson County | $322 | $16,758 | 19.3% High |
| #4 | Bergen County | $318 | $16,521 | 13.9% Moderate |
| #5 | Monmouth County | $314 | $16,352 | 13.8% Moderate |
| #6 | Middlesex County | $314 | $16,325 | 15.5% High |
| #7 | Ocean County | $314 | $16,314 | 19.8% High |
| #8 | Passaic County | $308 | $15,994 | 18.9% High |
| #9 | Sussex County | $305 | $15,834 | 14.3% Moderate |
| #10 | Hunterdon County | $304 | $15,791 | 11.8% Moderate |
| #11 | Gloucester County | $304 | $15,789 | 15.8% High |
| #12 | Burlington County | $303 | $15,770 | 15.4% High |
| #13 | Union County | $299 | $15,543 | 16.4% High |
| #14 | Essex County | $296 | $15,390 | 20.9% Severe |
| #15 | Mercer County | $294 | $15,294 | 16.5% High |
| #16 | Atlantic County | $287 | $14,907 | 20.4% Severe |
| #17 | Cumberland County | $286 | $14,891 | 23.9% Severe |
| #18 | Warren County | $286 | $14,870 | 16.1% High |
| #19 | Salem County | $284 | $14,789 | 20.2% Severe |
| #20 | Cape May County | $283 | $14,697 | 17.5% High |
| #21 | Camden County | $282 | $14,648 | 17.9% High |
New Jersey Childcare Cost FAQ
Morris County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in New Jersey at $327/wk ($16,984 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 13.0% of median household income ($130,808).
Camden County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in New Jersey at $282/wk ($14,648 per year). Across the 21 New Jersey counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 16%.
The median weekly infant center care cost in New Jersey is $304. The U.S. national median is $174, so New Jersey runs 75% above the national median. Annualized, the typical New Jersey family pays $15,789 per year for infant center daycare.
15 of 21 New Jersey counties (71%) 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. 4 New Jersey 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 Jersey 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.