Child care · County · Alabama
Child care centers and preschools in Houston County, AL
The child care centers and preschools in Houston County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,254 of 1,611 scored counties
#30 of 40 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 30
- 2 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- +3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $16.2M
- On child care and other personal services · $374 a household
- Spending per listing
- $540K
- 46% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.9
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 110,318
- +2.8% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Houston County
The site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
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 Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Houston County is 34 (lower middle), #1,254 of 1,611 scored counties and #30 of 40 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $374 per household (36% below the U.S. average), households in Houston County spend about $16.2M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $540K per center, 46% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 30 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Houston County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 7% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.9, 19% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 27 businesses with payroll in Houston County classed as child care services, up 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,604 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates show Houston County grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Houston County compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all child care and other personal services by the child care centers and preschools counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Houston County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.9 | 4.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $540K | $845K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,604 | 2,022 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.9% | +8.7% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $374 | $412 | $581 |
| Median household income | $58,626 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26 → 27+3.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 273
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 202Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 302 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 16The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Houston County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Houston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 110,318+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 43,302
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 580 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 187
- Median household income
- $58,626+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,747
- Median home value
- $183,300
- Jobs located here
- 51,974
- Daytime population
- 116,184Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houston County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the child care centers and preschools on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardChild care and preschools across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Houston County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Limestone County, AL | 83 | 15 | 3.7 | $1.4M | +18.0% | #56 of 1,611 |
| 2St. Clair County, AL | 79 | 10 | 2.8 | $1.4M | +7.1% | #94 of 1,611 |
| 3Marshall County, AL | 78 | 11 | 3.0 | $1.3M | +6.0% | #115 of 1,611 |
| 4Shelby County, AL | 75 | 52 | 6.0 | $1M | +6.5% | #165 of 1,611 |
| 5Baldwin County, AL | 72 | 51 | 5.2 | $916K | +14.8% | #224 of 1,611 |
| 6Jackson County, AL | 69 | 6 | 2.8 | $1.2M | +3.3% | #283 of 1,611 |
| 7Madison County, AL | 69 | 98 | 5.9 | $910K | +11.0% | #300 of 1,611 |
| 8DeKalb County, AL | 68 | 6 | 2.3 | $1.3M | +3.4% | #307 of 1,611 |
| 9Blount County, AL | 67 | 5 | 2.3 | $1.7M | +1.8% | #331 of 1,611 |
| 10Autauga County, AL | 67 | 10 | 4.4 | $1M | +5.1% | #341 of 1,611 |
| 30Houston County, AL | 34 | 30 | 6.9 | $540K | +2.8% | #1,254 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Houston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
- Child care and preschools34
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Houston County, AL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 30 child care centers and preschools in Houston County. 2 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 202 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Houston County, AL spend on child care and other personal services?
About $16.2M a year, or $374 per household. That is 36% below the U.S. average (an index of 64, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $540K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,302 households in Houston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houston County, AL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Houston County has 6.9 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $540K, 46% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Houston County would have about 16, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,604 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Houston County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Houston County at 110,318 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,302 households. Median household income in Houston County is $58,626, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.2%, before inflation.
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. Houston County scores 34 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,254 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houston County. 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.
How the score works · Top markets for child care centers and preschools · All 56 business types in Houston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houston County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
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.