Market rankings · Arizona
Child care centers and preschools in Arizona
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Arizona, ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,128
- 183 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 965
- +8.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.9B
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.9
- 33% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 72% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #1 of 51
- Market score 90 · Very high
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Arizona 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
Arizona has 1,128 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 183 of them (16%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.9, 33% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Arizona comes to about $1.9B a year: $682 per household, 17% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.7M per center, 72% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 965 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Arizona in 2023, up 8.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,960 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, 55 SBA-backed loans worth $50.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Arizona.
Among the 50 states and DC, Arizona ranks #1 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 90 (very high). Of the 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Arizona, the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area scores highest (92). Of the 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Arizona, the Show Low area scores highest (89).
Every market in Arizona for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Arizona, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 92 | 782 | 4.1 | $1.8M | +7.3% | #2 of 387 |
| 2Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | 90 | 33 | 3.0 | $2M | +6.5% | #5 of 387 |
| 3Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | 86 | 32 | 3.1 | $1.6M | +6.5% | #8 of 387 |
| 4Tucson, AZ | 83 | 159 | 3.6 | $1.7M | +2.8% | #13 of 387 |
| 5Flagstaff, AZ | 77 | 25 | 4.5 | $1.4M | −0.6% | #28 of 387 |
| 6Yuma, AZ | 67 | 44 | 5.5 | $881K | +9.2% | #75 of 387 |
| 7Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 61 | 21 | 4.1 | $1.2M | +0.6% | #105 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Show Low, AZ | 89 | 9 | 2.2 | $2M | +3.0% | #4 of 454 |
| 2Nogales, AZ | 67 | 9 | 5.3 | $833K | +4.8% | #100 of 454 |
| Payson, AZ | Not scored | 4 | 1.7 | $3M | +0.9% | |
| Safford, AZ | Not scored | 3 | 2.4 | $2.3M | +4.0% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pinal County, AZ | 96 | 46 | 2.8 | $2.2M | +25.4% | #1 of 1,611 |
| 2Yavapai County, AZ | 92 | 33 | 3.0 | $2M | +6.5% | #6 of 1,611 |
| 3Maricopa County, AZ | 90 | 736 | 4.3 | $1.8M | +5.5% | #17 of 1,611 |
| 4Mohave County, AZ | 87 | 32 | 3.1 | $1.6M | +6.5% | #26 of 1,611 |
| 5Pima County, AZ | 84 | 159 | 3.6 | $1.7M | +2.8% | #44 of 1,611 |
| 6Navajo County, AZ | 83 | 9 | 2.2 | $2M | +3.0% | #50 of 1,611 |
| 7Coconino County, AZ | 79 | 25 | 4.5 | $1.4M | −0.6% | #95 of 1,611 |
| 8Yuma County, AZ | 70 | 44 | 5.5 | $881K | +9.2% | #270 of 1,611 |
| 9Cochise County, AZ | 64 | 21 | 4.1 | $1.2M | +0.6% | #421 of 1,611 |
| 10Santa Cruz County, AZ | 60 | 9 | 5.3 | $833K | +4.8% | #555 of 1,611 |
| Apache County, AZ | Not scored | 2 | 0.9 | $4.5M | −2.2% | |
| Gila County, AZ | Not scored | 4 | 1.7 | $3M | +0.9% | |
| Graham County, AZ | Not scored | 3 | 2.4 | $2.3M | +4.0% | |
| La Paz County, AZ | Not scored | 2 | 2.2 | $1.9M | +0.9% | |
| Greenlee County, AZ | Not scored | 3 | 8.4 | $605K | −2.3% |
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 Arizona?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,128 child care centers and preschools in Arizona. 183 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 965 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 8.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 9,216 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Arizona spend on child care and other personal services?
About $1.9B a year, or $682 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,128 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,856,081 households in Arizona and national spending patterns by income.
How does Arizona compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Arizona has 3.9 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.7M, 72% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Arizona would have about 1,944, against 1,128 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,960 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Arizona has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Arizona, the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area scores highest, at 92 (very high). Among 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Arizona, the Show Low area scores highest, at 89 (high). Among 10 scored counties in Arizona, Pinal County scores highest, at 96 (very 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. Arizona scores 90 for child care centers and preschools (very high), #1 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 Arizona. 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
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- Maryland
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- Michigan
- Minnesota
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- 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 Arizona
Screening a site or an acquisition in Arizona?
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.