As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, Arlington ranks the 52nd largest city in the nation.
Arlington sits between Dallas and Fort Worth, geographically and demographically. The city pays the same Tarrant County infant tuition of $13,443 a year as both neighbors, draws from the same DFW childcare labor pool earning $14.31 an hour, and inherits the same Texas state policy floor. What separates it is income and household structure. A $73,519 median household income makes the cost burden 18.3% — between Dallas's 19.3% and Fort Worth's 17.5%. Single-parent share, 34.4%, lands close to the national average. Mothers' labor force participation, 65.1%, lands close to the state average. The Family Strain reading of 43 sits cleanly between Dallas's 22 and Fort Worth's 51. Arlington ranks 26th of 31 in Texas, 108th of 250 nationally — true to its geographic position in the metroplex.
Key highlights & actionable takeaways
- Score 53 (Moderate), ranked 108 of 250; 26th of 31 in Texas — Family Strain reading lands between Dallas (22) and Fort Worth (51).
- Tarrant County infant tuition $13,443/year is 18.3% of $73,519 median income, between Dallas (19.3%) and Fort Worth (17.5%).
- Mothers' labor force participation 65.1%, close to state average; single-parent share 34.4%, close to national.
Actionable takeaways
- Arlington is the metroplex middle. Same Tarrant County tuition and DFW labor pool as Dallas and Fort Worth, with a Family Strain reading (43) sitting cleanly between them — the city's score is a function of geographic averaging, not policy or supply distinction.
- Texas's uniform policy floor flattens cluster differences. Arlington inherits the same 48/100 policy reading as every TX city; expect any post-2026 state pre-K change to move all metroplex cities together.
- Mixed-residential character is the demographic signature. Sharing both established middle-class and lower-income areas, Arlington shows the cleanest one-city version of the metroplex's split household profile.
Affordability — 68/100
A year of full-time infant center care in Tarrant County runs $13,443 — about $3,700 below the national average. The figure consumes 18.3% of Arlington's $73,519 median household income, lighter than Dallas (19.3%) but heavier than Fort Worth (17.5%). Toddler care is $12,386; preschool, $11,511; family child care infant care, $11,833.
Childcare-to-rent runs 0.81 — rent ($1,389/month) still narrowly exceeds tuition. An Arlington family with one infant in center care pays roughly $1,500 more per year than the Texas state median. The cleanest read: Arlington is paying Tarrant County prices on a household income that sits between its two larger neighbors, and the cost-burden math sorts accordingly.
Supply — 54/100
Arlington shares Tarrant County's licensed slot estimate of about 56 slots per 100 children with working parents — the broadly Texan ratio that holds across most of the state. The county's 388 establishments work out to 2.80 per 1,000 children under 5 — below the Texas state rate of 3.17 and well below the national rate of 4.21. Center waitlists for infants in particular are a real constraint for Arlington families.
Workforce — 33/100
The median Tarrant County childcare worker earns $14.31/hour — about $29,760 a year — or 59.3% of the local living wage of $24.14/hour. The metro-wide OEWS wage figure is identical to Dallas and Fort Worth because the labor market is one DFW unit. The Workforce Health reading of 32.5/100 reflects the same provider-pipeline leak that defines childcare staffing across the metroplex.
Family strain — 43/100
Mothers' labor force participation among kids under 6 sits at 65.1% in Arlington — above the Texas state average of 62.8% and just below the national rate of 68.2%. Single-parent households make up 34.4% of families with kids — close to the national average. The Family Strain score of 43.1/100 sits cleanly between Dallas (22.4) and Fort Worth (51.0), consistent with Arlington's mixed residential character — a city that includes both established middle-class neighborhoods and substantial lower-income areas.
Policy support — 48/100
Inherited from Texas. The state enrolls 52% of 4-year-olds in public pre-K and 11% of 3-year-olds at $4,682 per child, meets 2 of NIEER's 10 quality benchmarks, reaches 16.4% of eligible children with CCDF subsidies, and offers zero weeks of paid family leave.
In-home care in Arlington
In-home care in Arlington typically reflects the broader Dallas-Fort Worth metro nanny market, with full-time live-out rates in line with Tarrant County norms. Demand sits primarily among professional households on the city's south side. Au pair placements through the State Department's J-1 program have grown across the metroplex, particularly among multi-kid families. Nanny shares between two families have become a recognized way to bring per-family costs into a more workable range.
Methodology: The the score is a 0-100 composite score across five dimensions: Affordability (30 pts), Supply (25 pts), Workforce Health (15 pts), Family Strain (15 pts), and Policy Support (15 pts). City-level prices and supply use the city's primary containing county. Policy Support is measured at the state level. Full methodology and data sources: beverly.io/research/methodology.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates; U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS (May 2024) and QCEW; Buffett Early Childhood Institute / Bipartisan Policy Center / Child Care Aware childcaregap.org (Sept 2025); NIEER State of Preschool Yearbook 2024; HHS ACF CCDF FY2023; National Partnership for Women & Families (March 2026).