ChildcareCost

MEDIAN · INFANT · CENTER-BASED

How much does childcare cost in Polk County, WI?

In Polk County, WI, the median price of infant care at a child care center is $182 a week ($789 a month, $9,464 a year).

$182

per week · Polk County, WI · 2022 (latest official data)

≈ $213 per week in 2025 dollars — estimate, adjusted for inflation by ChildcareCost; not an official figure · how we estimate this

MEDIAN PRICE · BY AGE & SETTING · PER WEEK

Median childcare price in Polk County by age group and care setting, shown per week.
AgeCenter-basedFamily childcare
Infant$182$150
Toddler$170$143
Preschool$170$143
School-age‡$153$135

Median prices · 2022 (latest official data) · U.S. Department of Labor.

‡ School-age prices reflect a school-year, part-day arrangement, not full-day year-round care.

AFFORDABILITY · INFANT · CENTER-BASED · VS 7%

Is childcare affordable in Polk County?

Infant care at a child care center costs about $9,464 a year — that is 10.9% of the county’s median family income of $86,676 (2022).

That is above the 7%-of-income childcare benchmark.

ESTIMATE YOUR COST

What would childcare cost your family in Polk County?

Uses Polk County’s official 2022 median prices. Income is prefilled with the county median family income — change it to your own.

$
Children in care

ESTIMATED COST IN POLK COUNTY

$9,464

per year · $789 per month (÷ 12)

Share of income
10.9%
Benchmark (7% of income)
$6,067 /yr

That is above the 7%-of-income childcare benchmark.

INFANT · CENTER-BASED · WEEKLY

How Polk County compares

  • Polk County$182 /wk
  • Wisconsin median$293 /wk
  • National median$244 /wk

Bars scaled to the highest figure shown. State and national figures are population-weighted medians of the county medians, across counties with data.

NEARBY COUNTIES · INFANT · CENTER-BASED · WEEKLY

Childcare prices near Polk County

Neighboring counties and their infant center-based weekly childcare price.
CountyInfant, center
Barron CountyWI$210 /wk
Burnett CountyWI$182 /wk
Chisago CountyMN$235 /wk
Dunn CountyWI$210 /wk
St. Croix CountyWI$210 /wk
Washington CountyMN$390 /wk

PRICE TREND · MEDIAN WEEKLY

How childcare prices in Polk County changed

$1502008$1502009$1502010$1502011$1532012$162†2013$1702014$1632015$172†2016$1802017$1702018$173†2019$176†2020$179†2021$1822022
Median weekly childcare price in Polk County by year.
YearMedian weekly price
2008$150
2009$150
2010$150
2011$150
2012$153
2013$162 (statistically imputed by DOL)
2014$170
2015$163
2016$172 (statistically imputed by DOL)
2017$180
2018$170
2019$173 (statistically imputed by DOL)
2020$176 (statistically imputed by DOL)
2021$179 (statistically imputed by DOL)
2022$182

† Value statistically imputed by DOL — see methodology

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Frequently asked questions

How much does infant childcare cost in Polk County?
The median price is $182 per week ($789 per month, $9,464 per year) at a child care center in Polk County, based on 2022 (latest official data).
Is childcare affordable in Polk County?
Infant care at a child care center costs about $9,464 a year, or 10.9% of the county's median family income. That is above the 7%-of-income childcare benchmark.
How much does family child care cost for an infant in Polk County?
The median price is $150 per week ($650 per month, $7,800 per year) at a family child care home in Polk County, based on 2022 (latest official data).
How much does toddler daycare cost in Polk County?
The median price is $170 per week ($737 per month, $8,840 per year) at a child care center in Polk County, based on 2022 (latest official data).
How much does preschool cost in Polk County?
The median price is $170 per week ($737 per month, $8,840 per year) at a child care center in Polk County, based on 2022 (latest official data).