Wisconsin Childcare Cost Rankings

Brown County is the most expensive county for infant center daycare in Wisconsin at $293/wk ($15,236 per year). The Childcare Burden Index there is 20.6% of median household income ($74,066).

Waushara County has the lowest infant center daycare cost in Wisconsin at $182/wk ($9,464 per year). Across the 72 Wisconsin counties with DOL pricing data, the spread between most and least expensive is 61%.

The median weekly infant center care cost in Wisconsin is $210. The U.S. national median is $174, so Wisconsin runs 21% above the national median. Annualized, the typical Wisconsin family pays $10,920 per year for infant center daycare.

52 of 72 Wisconsin counties (72%) 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. 7 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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.