Market rankings · Alaska
Child care centers and preschools in Alaska
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Alaska, ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 130
- 9 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 173
- +0.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $210.4M
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.8
- 17% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 62% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #9 of 51
- Market score 66 · Upper middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Alaska 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
There are 130 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Alaska as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 7% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 4.8 per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $778 per household (34% above the U.S. average), households in Alaska spend about $210.4M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $1.6M per center, 62% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 173 businesses with payroll in Alaska classed as child care services, up 0.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,564 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Alaska.
Among the 50 states and DC, Alaska ranks #9 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle). Of the 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Alaska, the Anchorage metro area scores highest (70). Of the 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Alaska, the Juneau area scores highest (61).
Every market in Alaska for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Alaska, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anchorage, AK | 70 | 76 | 5.1 | $1.6M | +1.9% | #55 of 387 |
| 2Fairbanks-College, AK | 61 | 14 | 3.9 | $1.9M | −1.4% | #103 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Juneau, AK | 61 | 9 | 6.8 | $1.2M | −1.8% | #134 of 454 |
| 2Ketchikan, AK | 50 | 6 | 10.5 | $698K | −2.6% | #232 of 454 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | 78 | 19 | 4.8 | $1.6M | +10.4% | #111 of 1,611 |
| 2Anchorage Municipality, AK | 67 | 57 | 5.2 | $1.6M | −1.3% | #332 of 1,611 |
| 3Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK | 65 | 14 | 5.7 | $1.2M | +5.1% | #390 of 1,611 |
| 4Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | 64 | 14 | 3.9 | $1.9M | −1.4% | #413 of 1,611 |
| 5Juneau City and Borough, AK | 58 | 9 | 6.8 | $1.2M | −1.8% | #589 of 1,611 |
| 6Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK | 47 | 6 | 10.5 | $698K | −2.6% | #905 of 1,611 |
| Bethel Census Area, AK | Not scored | 1 | 2.1 | $3.2M | −1.5% | |
| Kodiak Island Borough, AK | Not scored | 2 | 4.3 | $1.6M | −5.0% | |
| North Slope Borough, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.8% | |
| Nome Census Area, AK | Not scored | 1 | 3.6 | $1.9M | −1.9% | |
| Sitka City and Borough, AK | Not scored | 2 | 5.8 | $1.3M | −1.3% | |
| Kusilvak Census Area, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −5.2% | |
| Northwest Arctic Borough, AK | Not scored | 1 | 5.5 | $1.3M | −9.0% | |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +6.5% | |
| Chugach Census Area, AK | Not scored | 1 | 3.5 | $2.1M | −7.5% | |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +0.6% | |
| Aleutians West Census Area, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +1.2% | |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −5.1% | |
| Dillingham Census Area, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −7.4% | |
| Aleutians East Borough, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +1.6% | |
| Petersburg Borough, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.1% | |
| Copper River Census Area, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +1.9% | |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.8% | |
| Wrangell City and Borough, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −5.6% | |
| Haines Borough, AK | Not scored | 2 | 22.2 | $286K | −1.0% | |
| Denali Borough, AK | Not scored | 1 | 17.7 | $421K | +0.3% | |
| Skagway Municipality, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −10.7% | |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −6.2% | |
| Bristol Bay Borough, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +2.4% | |
| Yakutat City and Borough, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.5% |
Markets with fewer than 5 child care centers and preschools on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Alaska?
As of September 2026, map listings count 130 child care centers and preschools in Alaska. 9 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 173 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 0.6% from 2019. Official counts list 977 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Alaska spend on child care and other personal services?
About $210.4M a year, or $778 per household. That is 34% above the U.S. average (an index of 134, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 130 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 270,533 households in Alaska and national spending patterns by income.
How does Alaska compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Alaska has 4.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.6M, 62% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Alaska would have about 210, against 130 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,564 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Alaska has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Alaska, the Anchorage metro area scores highest, at 70 (upper middle). Among 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Alaska, the Juneau area scores highest, at 61 (upper middle). Among 6 scored counties in Alaska, Matanuska-Susitna Borough scores highest, at 78 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Alaska scores 66 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #9 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alaska. 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.
Child care and preschools in other states
All 51 states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in Alaska
Screening a site or an acquisition in Alaska?
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.