88 Counties Ranked · DOL 2022

Ohio Childcare Cost Rankings

Ohio counties ranked by infant center care cost, from most expensive to most affordable. The most expensive is Athens County at $295/wk, and the most affordable is Wyandot County at $174/wk.

Across 88 Ohio counties with DOL pricing data, the median weekly cost of infant center daycare is $222 ($11,537 per year). That puts Ohio 28% above the U.S. national median of $174/wk. Within the state, prices vary widely — Athens County runs $295/wk while Wyandot County runs just $174/wk, a 70% 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 Ohio, 68 of 88 ranked counties (77%) carry a "High" or "Severe" burden — a family earning the local median income would spend 15% or more of gross pay on daycare alone. 28 Ohio 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 Ohio county is Athens County at 31.5% 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

#131.5% burden

Athens County, OH

Median income $48,750

Most expensive county for infant center daycare in Ohio at $295/wk ($15,340/yr). Family-based daycare runs $200/wk, about 32% cheaper. Childcare burden of 31.5% well exceeds the 7% HHS affordability threshold.

#226.9% burden

Belmont County, OH

Median income $56,943

Second-most expensive at $295/wk for infant center care. Infant family daycare $200/wk ($10,400/yr).

#319.9% burden

Butler County, OH

Median income $77,062

Third-most expensive at $295/wk. Preschool center care drops to $232/wk as ratios loosen.

Rank	County	Infant/Wk	Annual	Burden
#1	Athens County	$295	$15,340	31.5% Severe
#2	Belmont County	$295	$15,340	26.9% Severe
#3	Butler County	$295	$15,340	19.9% High
#4	Clermont County	$295	$15,340	19.3% High
#5	Cuyahoga County	$295	$15,340	25.5% Severe
#6	Defiance County	$295	$15,340	22.1% Severe
#7	Delaware County	$295	$15,340	12.4% Moderate
#8	Fairfield County	$295	$15,340	18.5% High
#9	Franklin County	$295	$15,340	21.6% Severe
#10	Geauga County	$295	$15,340	15.8% High
#11	Greene County	$295	$15,340	18.9% High
#12	Hamilton County	$295	$15,340	22.5% Severe
#13	Hancock County	$295	$15,340	22.9% Severe
#14	Holmes County	$295	$15,340	21.0% Severe
#15	Jefferson County	$295	$15,340	28.9% Severe
#16	Knox County	$295	$15,340	21.5% Severe
#17	Lake County	$295	$15,340	20.0% Severe
#18	Lorain County	$295	$15,340	22.8% Severe
#19	Lucas County	$295	$15,340	26.8% Severe
#20	Marion County	$295	$15,340	27.8% Severe
#21	Medina County	$295	$15,340	17.1% High
#22	Monroe County	$295	$15,340	27.7% Severe
#23	Montgomery County	$295	$15,340	24.8% Severe
#24	Morrow County	$295	$15,340	21.8% Severe
#25	Portage County	$295	$15,340	22.0% Severe
#26	Summit County	$295	$15,340	22.4% Severe
#27	Trumbull County	$295	$15,340	28.7% Severe
#28	Union County	$295	$15,340	14.7% Moderate
#29	Warren County	$295	$15,340	14.9% Moderate
#30	Ashtabula County	$222	$11,537	21.5% Severe
#31	Auglaize County	$222	$11,537	15.3% High
#32	Clark County	$222	$11,537	19.6% High
#33	Clinton County	$222	$11,537	18.0% High
#34	Erie County	$222	$11,537	17.7% High
#35	Fayette County	$222	$11,537	20.3% Severe
#36	Guernsey County	$222	$11,537	21.4% Severe
#37	Hardin County	$222	$11,537	20.6% Severe
#38	Huron County	$222	$11,537	18.0% High
#39	Lawrence County	$222	$11,537	22.3% Severe
#40	Licking County	$222	$11,537	14.7% Moderate
#41	Logan County	$222	$11,537	16.7% High
#42	Madison County	$222	$11,537	15.0% High
#43	Mahoning County	$222	$11,537	21.3% Severe
#44	Morgan County	$222	$11,537	22.6% Severe
#45	Noble County	$222	$11,537	22.4% Severe
#46	Ottawa County	$222	$11,537	16.6% High
#47	Perry County	$222	$11,537	18.3% High
#48	Preble County	$222	$11,537	17.4% High
#49	Sandusky County	$222	$11,537	19.0% High
#50	Stark County	$222	$11,537	18.3% High
#51	Tuscarawas County	$222	$11,537	18.6% High
#52	Wayne County	$222	$11,537	16.4% High
#53	Wood County	$222	$11,537	16.4% High
#54	Adams County	$174	$9,025	19.5% High
#55	Allen County	$174	$9,025	15.3% High
#56	Ashland County	$174	$9,025	14.5% Moderate
#57	Brown County	$174	$9,025	13.5% Moderate
#58	Carroll County	$174	$9,025	15.1% High
#59	Champaign County	$174	$9,025	12.8% Moderate
#60	Columbiana County	$174	$9,025	16.3% High
#61	Coshocton County	$174	$9,025	17.3% High
#62	Crawford County	$174	$9,025	17.2% High
#63	Darke County	$174	$9,025	15.0% High
#64	Fulton County	$174	$9,025	12.6% Moderate
#65	Gallia County	$174	$9,025	16.3% High
#66	Harrison County	$174	$9,025	16.7% High
#67	Henry County	$174	$9,025	12.6% Moderate
#68	Highland County	$174	$9,025	14.9% Moderate
#69	Hocking County	$174	$9,025	15.3% High
#70	Jackson County	$174	$9,025	16.0% High
#71	Meigs County	$174	$9,025	19.5% High
#72	Mercer County	$174	$9,025	12.3% Moderate
#73	Miami County	$174	$9,025	12.6% Moderate
#74	Muskingum County	$174	$9,025	15.9% High
#75	Paulding County	$174	$9,025	13.8% Moderate
#76	Pickaway County	$174	$9,025	13.4% Moderate
#77	Pike County	$174	$9,025	17.8% High
#78	Putnam County	$174	$9,025	11.4% Moderate
#79	Richland County	$174	$9,025	16.0% High
#80	Ross County	$174	$9,025	15.5% High
#81	Scioto County	$174	$9,025	19.5% High
#82	Seneca County	$174	$9,025	14.4% Moderate
#83	Shelby County	$174	$9,025	12.3% Moderate
#84	Van Wert County	$174	$9,025	13.9% Moderate
#85	Vinton County	$174	$9,025	17.7% High
#86	Washington County	$174	$9,025	15.3% High
#87	Williams County	$174	$9,025	14.9% Moderate
#88	Wyandot County	$174	$9,025	13.2% Moderate

Ohio Childcare Cost FAQ

Athens County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in Ohio at $295/wk ($15,340 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 31.5% of median household income ($48,750).

Wyandot County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in Ohio at $174/wk ($9,025 per year). Across the 88 Ohio counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 70%.

The median weekly infant center care cost in Ohio is $222. The U.S. national median is $174, so Ohio runs 28% above the national median. Annualized, the typical Ohio family pays $11,537 per year for infant center daycare.

68 of 88 Ohio counties (77%) 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. 28 Ohio 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 Ohio 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.

Sources: DOL National Database of Childcare Prices

Last updated: April 2026

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.