Child care · County · Arizona
Child care centers and preschools in Maricopa County, AZ
How Maricopa County, AZ 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 90 out of 100: Very high
Ranked #17 of 1,611 scored counties
#3 of 10 scored counties in Arizona
- Listings
- 736
- 142 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 623
- +11.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.3B
- On child care and other personal services · $755 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 77% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.3
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 4,689,558
- +5.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Maricopa 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 Maricopa 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
For child care centers and preschools, Maricopa County has a Groundwork market score of 90 (very high): #17 of 1,611 scored counties and #3 of 10 scored counties in Arizona. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for child care centers and preschools.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Maricopa County comes to about $1.3B a year: $755 per household, 30% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.8M per center, 77% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 736 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Maricopa County as of September 2026. 142 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.3 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 623 businesses with payroll in Maricopa County classed as child care services, up 11.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,778 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 42 SBA-backed loans worth $44.9M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Maricopa County. Population estimates show Maricopa County grew 5.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Maricopa County compares
The same measures for Arizona 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 | Maricopa County | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.3 | 3.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $1.7M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,778 | 2,960 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.9% | +8.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.5% | +6.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $755 | $682 | $581 |
| Median household income | $89,300 | $79,964 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 90 | 90 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 557 → 623+11.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,807
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $310.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5,528Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 736142 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,304The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 42
- Amount
- $44.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Maricopa 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 Maricopa County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 4,689,558+5.5% since 2020
- Households
- 1,730,696
- Median age
- 39.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 9,202 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 496
- Median household income
- $89,300+38.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,023
- Median home value
- $452,800
- Jobs located here
- 2,317,205
- Daytime population
- 4,768,907Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Maricopa 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 Maricopa 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 Arizona
Every Arizona market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arizona for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Arizona, with Maricopa County marked.
Top counties in Arizona
| 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 |
Other business types in Maricopa 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 preschools90
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Maricopa County, AZ?
As of September 2026, map listings count 736 child care centers and preschools in Maricopa County. 142 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 623 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 11.9% from 2019. Official counts list 5,528 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Maricopa County, AZ spend on child care and other personal services?
About $1.3B a year, or $755 per household. That is 30% above the U.S. average (an index of 130, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 736 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,730,696 households in Maricopa County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Maricopa County, AZ compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Maricopa County has 4.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.8M, 77% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Maricopa County would have about 1,304, against 736 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,778 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Maricopa County, AZ growing?
Population estimates put Maricopa County at 4,689,558 people in 2025, up 5.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,730,696 households. Median household income in Maricopa County is $89,300, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.5%, 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. Maricopa County scores 90 for child care centers and preschools (very high), #17 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Maricopa 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 Maricopa County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Maricopa 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 Maricopa 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.