South Carolina Childcare Cost Rankings

Georgetown County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in South Carolina at $222/wk ($11,558 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 19.3% of median household income ($59,782).

Barnwell County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in South Carolina at $94/wk ($4,882 per year). Across the 46 South Carolina counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 137%.

The median weekly infant center care cost in South Carolina is $117. The U.S. national median is $174, so South Carolina runs 32% below the national median. Annualized, the typical South Carolina family pays $6,095 per year for infant center daycare.

16 of 46 South Carolina counties (35%) 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. 1 South Carolina county is 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 South Carolina 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.