Does center-based or home-based (family) child care cost more?

Nationally, center-based infant care costs more than home-based family care in the large majority of counties, by an average of $38.27 per week across the 2,547 counties with both prices reported in 2022 DOL data. But the pattern reverses in 281 of those counties (11%).

Which county has the biggest gap between center and home-based prices?

Stearns County, Minnesota, where center-based infant care costs $430.67/week versus $143.33/week for family care — a $287.34/week gap, the largest in the country.

Where does home-based care cost more than a center?

In 281 of 2,547 counties with both prices reported (about 11%), family child care costs more than a center. The biggest reversal is Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, where family care runs $96.62/week above center-based care.

Is the center-more-expensive pattern the same in every state?

No. The reversal — family costing more than center — appears repeatedly in Michigan and Colorado in the 2022 data, alongside isolated cases elsewhere, rather than being randomly scattered nationwide.

Should I assume a childcare center costs more than home-based care in my county?

Not automatically. While center-based care is pricier in most U.S. counties, roughly 1 in 9 counties with both figures reported show the opposite — so it's worth checking your own county's actual prices rather than assuming.

COST DATA

Where the Price Gap Between Center and Home-Based Child Care Is Biggest

By Sharon Ben-Moshe · August 8, 2026

Center-based infant care costs more than home-based (family) care in the large majority of U.S. counties — by a national average of $38.27 per week — but not everywhere: in 281 of the 2,547 counties (11%) with both prices reported, family child care actually costs more than a center, led by Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, where family care runs $96.62/week above center care.

Key takeaways

National average gap (infant, center minus family): $38.27/week, across 2,547 counties with both prices.
Biggest center-more-expensive gap: Stearns County, MN — $287.34/week more for a center ($430.67 vs. $143.33).
281 counties (11%) reverse the pattern — family care costs more than a center.
Biggest reversal: Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK — family care costs $96.62/week more than center ($251.47 vs. $154.85).
The reversal clusters repeatedly in Michigan and Colorado in the 2022 data, rather than appearing at random.

Does center-based or home-based care cost more?

Across the 2,547 U.S. counties that report both a center-based and a family (home-based) infant price for 2022, center-based care costs more in the typical county — the national average gap is $38.27/week. But that average hides real variation: some counties show a gap of nearly $300/week, and 281 counties show no gap at all in the expected direction — home-based care is the pricier option there.

Where the gap is biggest

The ten counties with the largest center-over-family price gap for infant care, 2022 data:

Stearns County, MN — $430.67 center vs. $143.33 family (+$287.34)
Suffolk County, MA — $590.00 center vs. $320.00 family (+$270.00)
Anoka County, MN — $390.00 center vs. $165.00 family (+$225.00)
Olmsted County, MN — $390.00 center vs. $176.67 family (+$213.33)
Essex County, MA — $461.55 center vs. $250.00 family (+$211.55)
Middlesex County, MA — $461.55 center vs. $250.00 family (+$211.55)
San Francisco County, CA — $606.61 center vs. $395.36 family (+$211.25)
Denver County, CO — $429.95 center vs. $223.15 family (+$206.80)
Norfolk County, MA — $555.00 center vs. $369.75 family (+$185.25)
Carver County, MN — $390.00 center vs. $205.00 family (+$185.00)

Minnesota and Massachusetts counties dominate this list — four of the top ten are in Minnesota, three in Massachusetts.

Where family care costs more than center-based care

The ten counties with the largest reversal — family (home-based) care priced above a center, infant age group:

Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK — $154.85 center vs. $251.47 family (family +$96.62)
Phillips County, CO — $103.85 center vs. $187.35 family (family +$83.50)
Oakland County, MI — $196.37 center vs. $275.49 family (family +$79.12)
Conejos County, CO — $103.85 center vs. $178.85 family (family +$75.00)
Benzie County, MI — $132.80 center vs. $198.63 family (family +$65.83)
Midland County, MI — $132.53 center vs. $195.17 family (family +$62.64)
Teton County, WY — $300.07 center vs. $359.85 family (family +$59.78)
Allegan County, MI — $123.60 center vs. $182.54 family (family +$58.94)
Jackson County, MI — $115.10 center vs. $171.80 family (family +$56.70)
Tuscola County, MI — $106.63 center vs. $162.82 family (family +$56.19)

Five of these ten counties are in Michigan — the clearest state-level cluster of the reversal in the 2022 data.

Why this matters when you're choosing care

The common assumption — that a childcare center always costs more than a home-based provider — holds in most counties but isn't universal. Before assuming either setting is the cheaper option, check your own county's actual prices on its county page, which shows both center-based and family prices side by side for every age group. For a broader look at the national pattern, see ChildcareCost's center-based vs. family child care comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Does center-based or home-based (family) child care cost more?: Nationally, center-based infant care costs more than home-based family care in the large majority of counties, by an average of $38.27 per week across the 2,547 counties with both prices reported in 2022 DOL data. But the pattern reverses in 281 of those counties (11%).
Which county has the biggest gap between center and home-based prices?: Stearns County, Minnesota, where center-based infant care costs $430.67/week versus $143.33/week for family care — a $287.34/week gap, the largest in the country.
Where does home-based care cost more than a center?: In 281 of 2,547 counties with both prices reported (about 11%), family child care costs more than a center. The biggest reversal is Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, where family care runs $96.62/week above center-based care.
Is the center-more-expensive pattern the same in every state?: No. The reversal — family costing more than center — appears repeatedly in Michigan and Colorado in the 2022 data, alongside isolated cases elsewhere, rather than being randomly scattered nationwide.
Should I assume a childcare center costs more than home-based care in my county?: Not automatically. While center-based care is pricier in most U.S. counties, roughly 1 in 9 counties with both figures reported show the opposite — so it's worth checking your own county's actual prices rather than assuming.