Market rankings · Child care
Top markets for child care centers and preschools
Every U.S. metro area, small-town market and county, ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools. The score weighs household spending per center, households per business, population growth and spending power.
- Listings in the U.S.
- 74,888
- 8,879 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 82,162
- +5.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $75B
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- Spending per listing: $1M
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around the address by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The U.S. has 74,888 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 8,879 of them (12%) are chain locations. That is 5.8 per 10,000 households.
Households in the U.S. spend about $75B a year on child care and other personal services, or $581 per household. Spread across 74,888 child care centers and preschools, that is $1M per center.
Official counts show 82,162 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in the U.S. in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. They employ 1,045,052 people, with $31B in annual payroll. Official counts also show 533,398 one-person businesses without payroll.
The St. George, UT metro area has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools among 387 scored metro areas, at 93. In the 10 highest-scoring metro areas, the median spending per center is 70% above the U.S. figure, and the median rate of listings per household is 31% below the U.S. rate.
Top markets
These tables (CSV)Ranked by the Groundwork market score, which weighs household spending per competitor, households per business with payroll, population growth and spending power against every other market of the same kind. How the score works.
Top metro areas of 1 million people or more
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 92 | 782 | 4.1 | $1.8M | +7.3% |
| 3Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 91 | 266 | 3.1 | $2.1M | +5.8% |
| 10Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 85 | 617 | 5.1 | $1.8M | +4.1% |
| 11Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 85 | 693 | 4.8 | $1.6M | +3.5% |
| 13Tucson, AZ | 83 | 159 | 3.6 | $1.7M | +2.8% |
| 22Fresno, CA | 79 | 181 | 4.9 | $1.3M | +3.2% |
| 42San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 73 | 451 | 4.7 | $1M | +9.5% |
| 43Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 73 | 441 | 5.3 | $998K | +8.7% |
| 50Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 72 | 609 | 6.2 | $1M | +14.0% |
| 51Urban Honolulu, HI | 71 | 139 | 4.1 | $2.2M | −2.3% |
| 56Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 70 | 1,608 | 5.6 | $1M | +10.6% |
| 70Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 67 | 265 | 5.9 | $1.4M | +3.8% |
| 71Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 67 | 607 | 6.9 | $1.2M | +3.2% |
| 87Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 65 | 570 | 5.3 | $1M | +10.1% |
| 88Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 64 | 1,277 | 7.9 | $1.3M | +3.3% |
Top 50 metro areas
Top 25 small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Monticello, NY | 90 | 11 | 3.5 | $1.6M | +2.7% |
| 2Centralia, WA | 90 | 13 | 3.9 | $1.5M | +6.7% |
| 3Lake of the Woods, VA | 90 | 7 | 4.7 | $1.2M | +10.1% |
| 4Show Low, AZ | 89 | 9 | 2.2 | $2M | +3.0% |
| 5Shelton, WA | 89 | 15 | 5.8 | $1.2M | +7.8% |
| 6Jefferson, GA | 87 | 9 | 3.2 | $1.7M | +29.3% |
| 7Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA | 86 | 9 | 4.1 | $1.9M | +0.9% |
| 8Brenham, TX | 86 | 6 | 3.9 | $1.2M | +7.0% |
| 9Hemlock Farms, PA | 85 | 12 | 4.9 | $1.2M | +7.2% |
| 10Albertville, AL | 83 | 11 | 3.0 | $1.3M | +6.0% |
| 11Hilo-Kailua, HI | 82 | 23 | 3.1 | $2.3M | +4.6% |
| 12Ellensburg, WA | 82 | 10 | 5.0 | $1.3M | +4.2% |
| 13Elko, NV | 81 | 7 | 3.5 | $1.9M | +2.1% |
| 14Pullman, WA | 81 | 6 | 3.2 | $1.8M | +1.5% |
| 15Seaford, DE | 81 | 35 | 3.3 | $1.5M | +16.1% |
| 16Calhoun, GA | 81 | 8 | 3.7 | $1.1M | +6.9% |
| 17Roseburg, OR | 80 | 13 | 2.7 | $1.9M | +0.6% |
| 18Athens, TN | 80 | 6 | 2.3 | $1.6M | +8.2% |
| 19Cañon City, CO | 80 | 6 | 3.3 | $1.5M | +2.4% |
| 20Brainerd, MN | 80 | 11 | 2.6 | $1.5M | +4.3% |
| 21Ocean Pines, MD | 80 | 12 | 5.0 | $1.1M | +3.7% |
| 22Montrose, CO | 79 | 10 | 5.5 | $1M | +4.1% |
| 23Granbury, TX | 79 | 13 | 5.1 | $1M | +13.6% |
| 24Sulphur Springs, TX | 79 | 6 | 4.3 | $951K | +6.1% |
| 25Rexburg, ID | 79 | 10 | 5.6 | $913K | +4.5% |
Top 25 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pinal County, AZ | 96 | 46 | 2.8 | $2.2M | +25.4% |
| 2Lyon County, NV | 93 | 6 | 2.5 | $2.4M | +9.5% |
| 3Waller County, TX | 93 | 5 | 2.7 | $2M | +21.9% |
| 4Frederick County, VA | 93 | 12 | 3.4 | $1.7M | +8.8% |
| 5Washington County, UT | 93 | 31 | 4.4 | $1.5M | +17.4% |
| 6Yavapai County, AZ | 92 | 33 | 3.0 | $2M | +6.5% |
| 7Collier County, FL | 92 | 63 | 3.8 | $1.6M | +10.6% |
| 8Kendall County, TX | 92 | 9 | 5.1 | $1.4M | +19.6% |
| 9Flagler County, FL | 91 | 9 | 1.7 | $2.8M | +21.0% |
| 10Broomfield County, CO | 91 | 15 | 4.7 | $2.2M | +6.3% |
| 11Clark County, NV | 91 | 266 | 3.1 | $2.1M | +5.8% |
| 12Culpeper County, VA | 91 | 7 | 3.7 | $1.5M | +9.3% |
| 13Comal County, TX | 91 | 33 | 4.6 | $1.4M | +27.9% |
| 14Sumter County, FL | 90 | 12 | 1.7 | $2.5M | +21.1% |
| 15Adams County, CO | 90 | 78 | 4.1 | $1.9M | +6.6% |
| 16Stevens County, WA | 90 | 6 | 3.1 | $1.9M | +6.6% |
| 17Maricopa County, AZ | 90 | 736 | 4.3 | $1.8M | +5.5% |
| 18Brunswick County, NC | 89 | 12 | 1.7 | $2.6M | +26.5% |
| 19Santa Rosa County, FL | 89 | 27 | 3.7 | $1.4M | +11.7% |
| 20Beaufort County, SC | 89 | 33 | 4.0 | $1.4M | +8.9% |
| 21Douglas County, CO | 88 | 104 | 7.4 | $1.6M | +10.9% |
| 22Sandoval County, NM | 88 | 27 | 4.7 | $1.5M | +6.9% |
| 23Johnson County, TX | 88 | 23 | 3.5 | $1.4M | +20.5% |
| 24Union County, OH | 88 | 11 | 4.5 | $1.3M | +16.5% |
| 25Louisa County, VA | 87 | 5 | 3.2 | $1.6M | +13.6% |
Scored: 387 metro areas, 454 small-town markets and 1,611 counties, each with at least 5 child care centers and preschools on map listings (counties: 10,000 people or more). Spending per listing is all household spending on child care and other personal services over the listings: demand for each competitor, not revenue. Each market has its own page, reached from its state below.
Excel · free with an account
Every market in one Excel file
Child care and preschools figures for all 387 metro areas, 538 small-town markets, 3,144 counties and 51 states: the Groundwork market score and rank, map listings and chains, household spending, businesses with payroll, employees and payroll, one-person businesses, SBA-backed loans, population, income and home value, each linked to its page. Sorted, filterable and ready to screen.
Child care and preschools by state
Every market in each state ranked, with the state’s highest-scoring metro area.
- AlabamaTop metro area: Huntsville metro area · 69
- AlaskaTop metro area: Anchorage metro area · 70
- ArizonaTop metro area: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area · 92
- ArkansasTop metro area: Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area · 59
- CaliforniaTop metro area: Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area · 85
- ColoradoTop metro area: Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area · 85
- ConnecticutTop metro area: Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area · 69
- DelawareTop metro area: Dover metro area · 32
- District of ColumbiaTop metro area: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area · 58
- FloridaTop metro area: Naples-Marco Island metro area · 91
- GeorgiaTop metro area: Gainesville metro area · 82
- HawaiiTop metro area: Urban Honolulu metro area · 71
- IdahoTop metro area: Boise City metro area · 66
- IllinoisTop metro area: Bloomington metro area · 58
- IndianaTop metro area: Kokomo metro area · 49
- IowaTop metro area: Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area · 48
- KansasTop metro area: Lawrence metro area · 56
- KentuckyTop metro area: Bowling Green metro area · 57
- LouisianaTop metro area: Slidell-Mandeville-Covington metro area · 57
- MaineTop metro area: Portland-South Portland metro area · 39
- MarylandTop metro area: Hagerstown-Martinsburg metro area · 67
- MassachusettsTop metro area: Barnstable Town metro area · 75
- MichiganTop metro area: Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area · 56
- MinnesotaTop metro area: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area · 45
- MississippiTop metro area: Gulfport-Biloxi metro area · 40
- MissouriTop metro area: Kansas City metro area · 47
- MontanaTop metro area: Bozeman metro area · 49
- NebraskaTop metro area: Grand Island metro area · 33
- NevadaTop metro area: Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas metro area · 91
- New HampshireTop metro area: Manchester-Nashua metro area · 63
- New JerseyTop metro area: Atlantic City-Hammonton metro area · 65
- New MexicoTop metro area: Santa Fe metro area · 83
- New YorkTop metro area: Binghamton metro area · 67
- North CarolinaTop metro area: Wilmington metro area · 73
- North DakotaTop metro area: Bismarck metro area · 45
- OhioTop metro area: Sandusky metro area · 59
- OklahomaTop metro area: Tulsa metro area · 45
- OregonTop metro area: Corvallis metro area · 76
- PennsylvaniaTop metro area: Gettysburg metro area · 77
- Rhode IslandTop metro area: Providence-Warwick metro area · 56
- South CarolinaTop metro area: Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area · 86
- South DakotaTop metro area: Sioux Falls metro area · 34
- TennesseeTop metro area: Knoxville metro area · 74
- TexasTop metro area: Midland metro area · 80
- UtahTop metro area: St. George metro area · 93
- VermontTop metro area: Burlington-South Burlington metro area · 34
- VirginiaTop metro area: Winchester metro area · 74
- WashingtonTop metro area: Bellingham metro area · 81
- West VirginiaTop metro area: Morgantown metro area · 55
- WisconsinTop metro area: Appleton metro area · 71
- WyomingTop metro area: Cheyenne metro area · 32
Questions
Which metro areas have the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
The top 5 are St. George, UT (93); Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ (92); Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV (91); Naples-Marco Island, FL (91); and Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ (90). The score compares each of 387 scored metro areas with the others for child care centers and preschools.
How many child care centers and preschools are in the U.S.?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 74,888 child care centers and preschools in the U.S. 8,879 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 82,162 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. Another 533,398 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do U.S. households spend on child care and other personal services?
About $75B a year, or $581 per household. Spread across the 74,888 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,209,336 households in the U.S. and national spending patterns by income.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Markets with fewer than 5 map listings of the type, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address anywhere in the U.S. It maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
All business types and every U.S. market · How we measure
Screening a site or an acquisition?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.