Child care · County · Alabama
Child care centers and preschools in Shelby County, AL
How Shelby County, AL compares with other counties and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #165 of 1,611 scored counties
#4 of 40 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 52
- 8 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 39
- −7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $52.1M
- On child care and other personal services · $600 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.0
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 238,552
- +6.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Shelby 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 Shelby 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
Households in Shelby County spend about $52.1M a year on child care and other personal services, or $600 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. Spread across 52 child care centers and preschools, that is $1M per center, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M.
Shelby County has 52 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (15%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 6.0 per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Shelby County in 2023, down 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,227 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 132 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $9.5M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Shelby County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Shelby County grew 6.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Shelby County is 75 (high), #165 of 1,611 scored counties and #4 of 40 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Shelby 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 | Shelby County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.0 | 4.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $845K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,227 | 2,022 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.1% | +8.7% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.5% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $600 | $412 | $581 |
| Median household income | $97,961 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 42 → 39−7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 795
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 132Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 528 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 52The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $9.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Shelby 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 Shelby County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 238,552+6.5% since 2020
- Households
- 86,866
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 785 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 293
- Median household income
- $97,961+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $128,135
- Median home value
- $326,100
- Jobs located here
- 95,355
- Daytime population
- 222,801Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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 |
Other business types in Shelby 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 preschools75
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Shelby County, AL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 52 child care centers and preschools in Shelby County. 8 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 7.1% from 2019. Another 132 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Shelby County, AL spend on child care and other personal services?
About $52.1M a year, or $600 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,866 households in Shelby County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Shelby County, AL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Shelby County has 6.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1M, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,227 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Shelby County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Shelby County at 238,552 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,866 households. Median household income in Shelby County is $97,961, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.9%, 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. Shelby County scores 75 for child care centers and preschools (high), #165 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Shelby 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 Shelby County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Shelby 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 Shelby 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.