Daycare cost · Iowa
How much does daycare cost in Iowa?
Full-time infant care at an Iowa daycare center cost a median of $160 a week in the latest federal county survey. The 45 Iowa daycares that post a preschool rate on their websites charge a median of $200 a week.
- a week, center infant care, county survey
- $160
- a week, center preschool, county survey
- $138
- a week, preschool rate posted by daycares
- $200
- Counties priced
- 99
By age
Daycare prices by age in Iowa
Weekly prices for full-time care. The county survey figures are the middle county in Iowa; the posted figures are the middle rate on Iowa daycare websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $160 | $106 | Too few to show |
| Toddler | $138 | $104 | Too few to show |
| Preschool | $138 | $104 | $200Middle half $98 to $266 · 45 daycares |
| School ageOften before and after school only | $110 | $101 | Too few to show |
County survey: U.S. Department of Labor, 2022; Iowa figure = the median of 99 county medians. Posted: one full-time rate per daycare, read in 2026, from 49 Iowa daycare websites (98% of them centers); half-day, part-week and school-year rates left out; shown only where at least 30 daycares post a rate for that age.
Reading the numbers
Why the two figures differ
These two numbers are built differently. The 2022 figure is the U.S. Department of Labor's price for the middle Iowa county, and each of the 99 counties counts the same, so small rural counties weigh as much as Polk County. The 2026 figure is the middle preschool rate among Iowa daycares that post prices online, and almost all of them are centers (98% of the 49 that post a rate).
Posted preschool rates run about $62 a week above the 2022 county price for center preschool care ($138), which reflects four years of price rises and the kind of daycare that posts its rates. Too few Iowa daycare websites list a full-time infant or toddler rate to give a 2026 figure for those ages, so start from the 2022 prices and ask each daycare.
By county
Where daycare costs more in Iowa
Lowest county price
$148a week for center infant care in Floyd CountyHighest county price
$185a week for center infant care in Dallas CountyPolk County
$177a week for center infant care; the most populous county in IowaLinn County
$166a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousScott County
$168a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousIowa's county prices sit fairly close together. In 2022, center infant care ran from $148 a week in Floyd County to $185 a week in Dallas County. The most populous counties were in between: $177 a week in Polk County, which includes Des Moines, $166 in Linn County and $168 in Scott County.
Home daycares cost much less for babies. The middle Iowa county charged $106 a week for infant care in a home daycare against $160 at a center, and $104 against $138 for a preschooler.
- A year of center infant care at the middle county price
- $8,320
- of the middle county household income ($66,056)
- 13%
- counties where it passed 20% of household income
- 0 of 99
Every county
Daycare prices in every Iowa county
Weekly county survey prices for full-time care, A to Z. Select a column heading to sort by it. The towns are where most of each county's daycares on DaycarePal are.
| Towns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adair | $159 | $137 | $104 | None listed |
| Adams | $163 | $141 | $107 | None listed |
| Allamakee | $159 | $137 | $104 | None listed |
| Appanoose | $155 | $134 | $105 | None listed |
| Audubon | $159 | $137 | $105 | None listed |
| Benton | $163 | $140 | $107 | None listed |
| Black Hawk | $168 | $145 | $113 | None listed |
| Boone | $163 | $140 | $110 | None listed |
| Bremer | $159 | $137 | $107 | None listed |
| Buchanan | $159 | $137 | $107 | None listed |
| Buena Vista | $157 | $136 | $106 | None listed |
| Butler | $161 | $139 | $106 | None listed |
| Calhoun | $158 | $136 | $104 | None listed |
| Carroll | $153 | $132 | $103 | None listed |
| Cass | $152 | $131 | $103 | None listed |
| Cedar | $167 | $144 | $110 | None listed |
| Cerro Gordo | $159 | $137 | $108 | None listed |
| Cherokee | $150 | $129 | $101 | None listed |
| Chickasaw | $161 | $139 | $106 | None listed |
| Clarke | $153 | $132 | $103 | None listed |
| Clay | $156 | $134 | $105 | None listed |
| Clayton | $160 | $138 | $105 | None listed |
| Clinton | $158 | $136 | $107 | None listed |
| Crawford | $154 | $133 | $104 | None listed |
| Dallas | $185 | $160 | $125 | None listed |
| Davis | $167 | $144 | $110 | None listed |
| Decatur | $152 | $131 | $100 | None listed |
| Delaware | $161 | $138 | $106 | None listed |
| Des Moines | $163 | $141 | $110 | None listed |
| Dickinson | $165 | $143 | $112 | None listed |
| Dubuque | $166 | $143 | $112 | None listed |
| Emmet | $154 | $133 | $104 | None listed |
| Fayette | $162 | $140 | $106 | None listed |
| Floyd | $148 | $128 | $100 | None listed |
| Franklin | $153 | $132 | $103 | None listed |
| Fremont | $159 | $137 | $104 | None listed |
| Greene | $160 | $138 | $108 | None listed |
| Grundy | $162 | $139 | $106 | None listed |
| Guthrie | $164 | $141 | $108 | None listed |
| Hamilton | $161 | $138 | $108 | None listed |
| Hancock | $163 | $141 | $107 | None listed |
| Hardin | $161 | $139 | $106 | None listed |
| Harrison | $166 | $143 | $109 | None listed |
| Henry | $154 | $133 | $104 | None listed |
| Howard | $153 | $132 | $103 | None listed |
| Humboldt | $151 | $130 | $102 | None listed |
| Ida | $154 | $133 | $101 | None listed |
| Iowa | $160 | $138 | $105 | None listed |
| Jackson | $155 | $133 | $104 | None listed |
| Jasper | $160 | $138 | $108 | None listed |
| Jefferson | $160 | $138 | $108 | None listed |
| Johnson | $177 | $152 | $119 | None listed |
| Jones | $153 | $132 | $103 | None listed |
| Keokuk | $160 | $138 | $105 | None listed |
| Kossuth | $160 | $138 | $108 | None listed |
| Lee | $157 | $135 | $106 | None listed |
| Linn | $166 | $143 | $111 | None listed |
| Louisa | $161 | $139 | $106 | None listed |
| Lucas | $157 | $135 | $106 | None listed |
| Lyon | $163 | $141 | $107 | None listed |
| Madison | $169 | $145 | $114 | None listed |
| Mahaska | $157 | $135 | $106 | None listed |
| Marion | $162 | $140 | $109 | None listed |
| Marshall | $161 | $139 | $109 | None listed |
| Mills | $163 | $140 | $110 | None listed |
| Mitchell | $154 | $133 | $104 | None listed |
| Monona | $161 | $139 | $106 | None listed |
| Monroe | $155 | $134 | $105 | None listed |
| Montgomery | $154 | $132 | $104 | None listed |
| Muscatine | $167 | $144 | $113 | None listed |
| O'Brien | $152 | $131 | $103 | None listed |
| Osceola | $159 | $137 | $107 | None listed |
| Page | $155 | $133 | $104 | None listed |
| Palo Alto | $149 | $128 | $100 | None listed |
| Plymouth | $161 | $139 | $109 | None listed |
| Pocahontas | $160 | $138 | $105 | None listed |
| Polk | $177 | $153 | $119 | None listed |
| Pottawattamie | $168 | $145 | $114 | None listed |
| Poweshiek | $161 | $139 | $109 | None listed |
| Ringgold | $158 | $136 | $104 | None listed |
| Sac | $153 | $132 | $101 | None listed |
| Scott | $168 | $145 | $113 | None listed |
| Shelby | $164 | $141 | $111 | None listed |
| Sioux | $160 | $138 | $108 | None listed |
| Story | $170 | $147 | $115 | None listed |
| Tama | $166 | $143 | $109 | None listed |
| Taylor | $154 | $133 | $101 | None listed |
| Union | $153 | $132 | $103 | None listed |
| Van Buren | $155 | $133 | $102 | None listed |
| Wapello | $165 | $142 | $111 | None listed |
| Warren | $169 | $146 | $114 | None listed |
| Washington | $162 | $140 | $109 | None listed |
| Wayne | $153 | $132 | $100 | None listed |
| Webster | $156 | $134 | $105 | None listed |
| Winnebago | $151 | $130 | $102 | None listed |
| Winneshiek | $157 | $135 | $106 | None listed |
| Woodbury | $166 | $143 | $112 | None listed |
| Worth | $157 | $135 | $103 | None listed |
| Wright | $154 | $133 | $104 | None listed |
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
Iowa's Child Care Assistance program, run by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, helps families with lower incomes pay for care while they work or go to school. On DaycarePal, 33 Iowa daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the Iowa daycares that accept it.
Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify, mostly by income, and serve children from birth to age 5. Iowa's Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program offers preschool at no cost to families for children who are 4; ask your school district where it runs.
Home daycares make up more than half of the Iowa daycares listed on DaycarePal and usually cost less. Part-time schedules can help too; ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay for weeks your child is away.
Questions
Questions about daycare cost in Iowa
How much is daycare per month in Iowa?
About $693 a month for full-time infant care at a center, at the 2022 middle-county price of $160 a week. At the rates Iowa daycares post in 2026, preschool runs about $867 a month.
How much does infant care cost a year in Iowa?
About $8,320 a year at the 2022 middle-county price for center infant care, or 13% of the middle Iowa county's household income ($66,056). In none of Iowa's 99 counties did center infant care take more than 20% of household income.
Does home daycare cost less than a center in Iowa?
Yes, most of all for babies. In the 2022 survey, the middle Iowa county charged $106 a week for infant care in a home daycare and $160 at a center.
Which Iowa county has the highest daycare prices?
In the 2022 survey, Dallas County had the highest center infant price in Iowa, at $185 a week, and Floyd County the lowest, at $148. The table on this page lists every county.
Is preschool free in Iowa?
For 4-year-olds, often yes: the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program has no cost to families. Center preschool care ran a median of $138 a week in 2022, so ask your school district about a spot.
We are a directory, not the daycare. Each daycare sets its own prices; ask for the current rate for your child's age and schedule.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices (2022 county prices and household incomes); rates posted on Iowa daycare websites, read in 2026. See daycares in Iowa for each daycare's own listing.