How much does daycare cost in Mississippi?

These prices come from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices, which records what providers charged in each county in 2022. The Mississippi figure is the middle of the 82 county prices, and each county counts once, so a small rural county weighs as much as Hinds or DeSoto County. The survey has no home daycare prices for Mississippi.

Prices have gone up since 2022. Too few Mississippi daycares post a full-time rate on their websites for us to give a 2026 figure, so ask each daycare what it charges today.

Most Mississippi counties sat close together in 2022, between about $114 and $119 a week for center infant care. A smaller group ran higher, from $145 to $155: the three most populous, Hinds ($148), Harrison ($148) and DeSoto ($145), along with some rural counties. Holmes County had the highest price, at $155, and Lafayette County, which includes Oxford, the lowest, at $110.

Prices drop as children get older. In the middle county, center care cost $107 a week for toddlers and preschoolers and $102 for school-age children in 2022.

Mississippi's Child Care Payment Program, run by the Division of Early Childhood Care and Development at the Mississippi Department of Human Services, helps families with lower incomes pay for child care. Ask each daycare whether it accepts the program's payments.

Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify, mostly by income, and serve children from birth to age 5. For a 4-year-old, also ask your school district whether it offers a free pre-K class.

A part-time schedule can lower the weekly bill. When you compare daycares, ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay for weeks your child is away.