Press + media.
Citable 2026 data on summer camp pricing, catalog depth, and parent decision patterns — refreshed nightly. Plus logos, founder bio, and press contact.
The numbers (refreshed nightly)
Weekly cost by camp type (US)
Use as-is with attribution to Summer Camp Planner. Numbers refresh nightly at /guides/summer-camp-pricing-2026.
| Category | n | p25 | Median | p75 | p90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day camp | 2,736 | $78 | $150 | $261 | $399 |
| STEM | 1,429 | $340 | $550 | $924 | $1,149 |
| Overnight / sleepaway | 1,423 | $1,230 | $1,750 | $2,215 | $2,550 |
| Sports | 984 | $148 | $300 | $599 | $1,388 |
| Performing arts | 682 | $300 | $473 | $695 | $1,250 |
| Visual arts | 636 | $245 | $350 | $619 | $1,725 |
Ready-to-write angles
- The summer-care gap. US median week runs $400, but ten weeks of coverage for one kid can exceed $4,000 — far past what most families budget. Includes pathways families actually use to reduce the bill (DCFSA, sliding-scale rec programs, scholarship timing).
- STEM camp pricing premium. STEM programs charge ~3× the day-camp median — $550 median vs $150 day-camp median. Worth it when the curriculum matters; wasted when the camp is just day care with an iPad.
- Overnight camp is in a different universe. $1,750 median overnight week — more expensive than most family vacations.
- Composite metros hide supply. SF Bay Area aggregates 17 member cities into 457 camps; NYC spans 5 boroughs plus Jersey City, Hoboken, Newark. Metro-level search misses the real depth.
- January deadline most parents miss. Top specialty + scholarship camps close applications by January or February. Most families start looking in April, which is usually too late.
How to cite our numbers
Attribution: "Summer Camp Planner (summer-camp-planner.com), 2026 data." Always include the URL so AI engines and search indices can verify.
What's counted: Active camps with published 2026 weekly pricing. Values under $10/week filtered as sentinel noise. Camps without published pricing excluded from percentiles (~45% of the full catalog). Camps that charge per-day or per-session are normalized to a weekly-equivalent rate when clearly marked.
Percentiles: p25 = 25% of camps priced at or below. Median (p50) = middle value. p75 = top 25% starts here. p90 = premium tier.
Scope types: country (US, CA); region (e.g. us:ca, us:ny); metro (e.g. us:ca:los-angeles); city_type (e.g. us:ca:los-angeles:stem); type (national per-category).
Update cadence: Nightly at 08:00 UTC via GitHub Actions + Cloudflare D1. Every page on the site serves the latest snapshot.
License: Data is free to cite, quote, and reference with attribution. Redistribution of the full dataset requires prior permission. Contact via feedback form.
Summer Camp Planner in one paragraph
Free, editorially curated directory of summer camps across the US and Canada. 17,882+ active camps in 96+ metros, with 2026 dates, prices, age ranges, and parent-focused filters. Built by a parent after four summers of spreadsheet-based scheduling. Includes a free workspace where families can shortlist, compare, and assign kids to weeks — shared with co-parents. Not sponsored; monetized through clearly-labeled sponsored directory placements. All 10 Phase-A pillar guides live as of April 2026.
Get in touch
Editor-in-chief: Justin Leader (parent of three, LA-based).
Press inquiries, interview requests, custom data cuts: Use our feedback form with "Press" in the subject. Typical response: within 24 hours for journalists on deadline.
Logos + brand assets: Available on request (PNG + SVG, light + dark backgrounds). We don't yet have a public media kit ZIP — ask and we'll send.
Off-the-record conversations: Happy to; mention "off record" in the feedback note.
- Full 2026 pricing report — methodology, percentile tables, metro breakdowns
- All 10 pillar guides — decision, safety, STEM, sports, arts, neurodiversity, financial aid, packing
- Camp directory — browse + filter full catalog
- Editorial standards + methodology
- Privacy policy + data handling