Which county in California has the lowest childcare?

Plumas has the lowest childcare in California, at $9,555.

What is the childcare in Plumas?

Plumas is ranked #1 in California for childcare, at $9,555.

How is this childcare ranking calculated?

Counties in California are ranked by childcare cost (DOL Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022), lowest first. Values describe the county, not an individual property. Source vintage is shown on the page.

Counties With the Cheapest Childcare in California (2026)

Cheapest counties for childcare in California

Top 25 of 58 counties with data.

Ranked by childcare cost (DOL Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022), lowest first.

Cheapest counties for childcare in California

Rank	County	Value
01	Plumas$9,555 County page
02	Del Norte$9,555 County page
03	Lassen$9,555 County page
04	Modoc$9,555 County page
05	Sierra$9,555 County page
06	Trinity$9,555 County page
07	Imperial$9,680 County page
08	Amador$9,822 County page
09	Tehama$9,840 County page
10	Glenn$9,894 County page
11	Tulare$10,214 County page
12	Mariposa$10,228 County page
13	Kings$10,355 County page
14	Colusa$10,436 County page
15	Merced$10,554 County page
16	Lake$10,747 County page
17	Tuolumne$11,069 County page
18	Shasta$11,176 County page
19	Sonoma$11,222 County page
20	Mendocino$11,243 County page
21	Calaveras$11,261 County page
22	Madera$11,712 County page
23	Siskiyou$11,964 County page
24	Los Angeles$12,181 County page
25	Stanislaus$12,232 County page

How this ranking works

This page ranks California counties by childcare cost, sorted so the cheapest places appear first. Click any county to see its housing, schools, crime, and demographics in detail.

For childcare, a lower value is generally more favorable, so the top of the list is the lowest. Want to weigh childcare against schools, taxes, commute, and more at once? Use the live map to build a custom match.

Data comes from public sources. Source attribution and the exact data vintage are shown above and on the full map of childcare cost.

Frequently asked questions

Which county in California has the lowest childcare?: Plumas has the lowest childcare in California, at $9,555.
What is the childcare in Plumas?: Plumas is ranked #1 in California for childcare, at $9,555.
How is this childcare ranking calculated?: Counties in California are ranked by childcare cost (DOL Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022), lowest first. Values describe the county, not an individual property. Source vintage is shown on the page.