Market rankings · Arkansas
Child care centers and preschools in Arkansas
Markets across Arkansas ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 662
- 83 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 728
- +5.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $464.6M
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 5% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $702K
- 30% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #40 of 51
- Market score 34 · Lower middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Arkansas 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 662 child care centers and preschools in Arkansas. 83 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.5 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Arkansas spend about $464.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $385 per household, 34% below the U.S. average. That works out to $702K per center, 30% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Arkansas was 728 in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,657 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, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $15.6M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Arkansas.
Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas ranks #40 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle). Of the 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Arkansas, the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area scores highest (59). Of the 12 scored small-town markets in or partly in Arkansas, the Searcy area scores highest (62).
Every market in Arkansas for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Arkansas, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | 59 | 126 | 5.8 | $865K | +13.1% | #129 of 387 |
| 2Hot Springs, AR | 47 | 14 | 3.2 | $1.1M | −0.6% | #215 of 387 |
| 3Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 40 | 165 | 5.3 | $798K | +3.8% | #265 of 387 |
| 4Jonesboro, AR | 35 | 27 | 5.1 | $739K | +3.6% | #293 of 387 |
| 5Fort Smith, AR-OK | 31 | 46 | 5.1 | $702K | +3.1% | #326 of 387 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 29 | 330 | 6.3 | $694K | −0.3% | #334 of 387 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 12 | 39 | 6.9 | $520K | −0.4% | #383 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Searcy, AR | 62 | 12 | 4.1 | $803K | +4.2% | #132 of 454 |
| 2Mountain Home, AR | 59 | 6 | 3.1 | $983K | +3.1% | #155 of 454 |
| 3Batesville, AR | 59 | 7 | 4.8 | $732K | +2.2% | #161 of 454 |
| 4Harrison, AR | 44 | 8 | 4.3 | $738K | +2.4% | #280 of 454 |
| 5Malvern, AR | 39 | 8 | 6.5 | $495K | +1.1% | #325 of 454 |
| 6Russellville, AR | 35 | 18 | 5.5 | $634K | +1.6% | #351 of 454 |
| 7Camden, AR | 30 | 6 | 5.8 | $565K | −3.6% | #380 of 454 |
| 8Forrest City, AR | 23 | 5 | 6.4 | $440K | −5.3% | #414 of 454 |
| 9Pine Bluff, AR | 18 | 18 | 6.7 | $474K | −5.6% | #428 of 454 |
| 10Blytheville, AR | 15 | 13 | 8.4 | $440K | −6.7% | #438 of 454 |
| 11El Dorado, AR | 14 | 17 | 11.3 | $314K | −5.2% | #441 of 454 |
| 12Magnolia, AR | 9 | 13 | 15.5 | $225K | −3.7% | #450 of 454 |
| Paragould, AR | Not scored | 4 | 2.2 | $1.5M | +3.4% | |
| Arkadelphia, AR | Not scored | 4 | 4.9 | $690K | −2.2% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Benton County, AR | 68 | 69 | 6.2 | $927K | +16.0% | #322 of 1,611 |
| 2Saline County, AR | 61 | 21 | 4.2 | $1M | +7.6% | #512 of 1,611 |
| 3Washington County, AR | 60 | 54 | 5.6 | $795K | +9.9% | #559 of 1,611 |
| 4Baxter County, AR | 56 | 6 | 3.1 | $983K | +3.1% | #658 of 1,611 |
| 5White County, AR | 56 | 12 | 4.1 | $803K | +4.2% | #668 of 1,611 |
| 6Craighead County, AR | 55 | 19 | 4.3 | $916K | +4.8% | #686 of 1,611 |
| 7Faulkner County, AR | 54 | 25 | 5.1 | $816K | +8.2% | #733 of 1,611 |
| 8Garland County, AR | 51 | 14 | 3.2 | $1.1M | −0.6% | #790 of 1,611 |
| 9Independence County, AR | 51 | 7 | 4.8 | $732K | +2.2% | #804 of 1,611 |
| 10Boone County, AR | 43 | 7 | 4.6 | $712K | +3.3% | #1,013 of 1,611 |
| 11Lonoke County, AR | 43 | 17 | 6.0 | $691K | +3.5% | #1,015 of 1,611 |
| 12Pulaski County, AR | 42 | 99 | 5.7 | $739K | +1.3% | #1,037 of 1,611 |
| 13Sebastian County, AR | 41 | 28 | 5.4 | $686K | +2.2% | #1,071 of 1,611 |
| 14Crawford County, AR | 37 | 12 | 5.1 | $691K | +4.1% | #1,165 of 1,611 |
| 15Hot Spring County, AR | 35 | 8 | 6.5 | $495K | +1.1% | #1,231 of 1,611 |
| 16Conway County, AR | 32 | 8 | 9.7 | $328K | +3.2% | #1,305 of 1,611 |
| 17Pope County, AR | 31 | 13 | 5.3 | $679K | +2.5% | #1,308 of 1,611 |
| 18Lawrence County, AR | 28 | 5 | 7.6 | $413K | +0.3% | #1,382 of 1,611 |
| 19St. Francis County, AR | 25 | 5 | 6.4 | $440K | −5.3% | #1,418 of 1,611 |
| 20Miller County, AR | 22 | 9 | 5.5 | $579K | −0.5% | #1,451 of 1,611 |
| 21Marion County, AR | 21 | 6 | 7.8 | $363K | +4.3% | #1,472 of 1,611 |
| 22Drew County, AR | 19 | 6 | 8.3 | $372K | −1.5% | #1,506 of 1,611 |
| 23Ouachita County, AR | 18 | 6 | 7.0 | $460K | −3.9% | #1,513 of 1,611 |
| 24Sharp County, AR | 18 | 6 | 8.8 | $340K | +4.7% | #1,522 of 1,611 |
| 25Jefferson County, AR | 17 | 15 | 6.2 | $500K | −5.7% | #1,524 of 1,611 |
Show all 75 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Poinsett County, AR | 16 | 8 | 9.1 | $317K | −2.0% | #1,544 of 1,611 |
| 27Little River County, AR | 16 | 7 | 14.5 | $235K | −1.8% | #1,546 of 1,611 |
| 28Ashley County, AR | 14 | 7 | 9.5 | $278K | −5.9% | #1,560 of 1,611 |
| 29Crittenden County, AR | 13 | 13 | 7.1 | $461K | −3.9% | #1,563 of 1,611 |
| 30Yell County, AR | 11 | 5 | 6.0 | $517K | −1.3% | #1,572 of 1,611 |
| 31Mississippi County, AR | 10 | 13 | 8.4 | $440K | −6.7% | #1,580 of 1,611 |
| 32Clay County, AR | 10 | 6 | 10.0 | $286K | −3.3% | #1,582 of 1,611 |
| 33Lincoln County, AR | 10 | 5 | 13.9 | $229K | −1.0% | #1,583 of 1,611 |
| 34Union County, AR | 9 | 17 | 11.3 | $314K | −5.2% | #1,587 of 1,611 |
| 35Cross County, AR | 6 | 8 | 12.3 | $281K | −3.6% | #1,599 of 1,611 |
| 36Columbia County, AR | 6 | 13 | 15.5 | $225K | −3.7% | #1,601 of 1,611 |
| Greene County, AR | Not scored | 4 | 2.2 | $1.5M | +3.4% | |
| Carroll County, AR | Not scored | 4 | 3.5 | $953K | +3.6% | |
| Johnson County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 1.9 | $1.5M | +2.0% | |
| Cleburne County, AR | Not scored | 4 | 3.8 | $853K | +3.9% | |
| Logan County, AR | Not scored | 3 | 3.5 | $1M | +2.5% | |
| Clark County, AR | Not scored | 4 | 4.9 | $690K | −2.2% | |
| Hempstead County, AR | Not scored | 3 | 4.0 | $756K | −4.6% | |
| Polk County, AR | Not scored | 3 | 3.8 | $829K | +1.6% | |
| Randolph County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 2.7 | $1.1M | +1.5% | |
| Grant County, AR | Not scored | 1 | 1.4 | $2.8M | +4.1% | |
| Madison County, AR | Not scored | 3 | 4.6 | $708K | +11.2% | |
| Franklin County, AR | Not scored | 1 | 1.4 | $2.3M | +3.5% | |
| Jackson County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 3.3 | $937K | 0.0% | |
| Arkansas County, AR | Not scored | 1 | 1.5 | $2.2M | −7.4% | |
| Van Buren County, AR | Not scored | 3 | 4.0 | $707K | +2.8% | |
| Sevier County, AR | Not scored | 3 | 5.3 | $582K | −0.1% | |
| Phillips County, AR | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −13.0% | |
| Izard County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 3.8 | $739K | +5.9% | |
| Howard County, AR | Not scored | 4 | 7.8 | $363K | −3.6% | |
| Stone County, AR | Not scored | 3 | 5.7 | $460K | +2.9% | |
| Fulton County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 4.2 | $617K | +3.7% | |
| Desha County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 4.3 | $646K | −11.8% | |
| Bradley County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 5.3 | $559K | −6.4% | |
| Pike County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 4.9 | $676K | −1.9% | |
| Perry County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 4.9 | $708K | +3.1% | |
| Scott County, AR | Not scored | 1 | 2.5 | $1M | +1.4% | |
| Chicot County, AR | Not scored | 3 | 7.6 | $390K | −10.3% | |
| Montgomery County, AR | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +1.1% | |
| Lee County, AR | Not scored | 1 | 3.7 | $863K | −6.4% | |
| Nevada County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 6.2 | $451K | −4.1% | |
| Prairie County, AR | Not scored | 3 | 9.2 | $330K | −3.9% | |
| Searcy County, AR | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $943K | 0.0% | |
| Cleveland County, AR | Not scored | 3 | 10.2 | $345K | −4.3% | |
| Newton County, AR | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $918K | −2.3% | |
| Monroe County, AR | Not scored | 1 | 3.6 | $774K | −7.8% | |
| Dallas County, AR | Not scored | 1 | 3.9 | $723K | −6.7% | |
| Lafayette County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 7.6 | $351K | −6.4% | |
| Woodruff County, AR | Not scored | 2 | 7.4 | $461K | −8.2% | |
| Calhoun County, AR | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.2% |
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 Arkansas?
Arkansas has 662 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 83 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 728 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. Official counts list 3,998 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Arkansas spend on child care and other personal services?
About $464.6M a year, or $385 per household. That is 34% below the U.S. average (an index of 66, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 662 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $702K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,205,987 households in Arkansas and national spending patterns by income.
How does Arkansas compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Arkansas has 5.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $702K, 30% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Arkansas would have about 464, against 662 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,657 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Arkansas has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Arkansas, the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area scores highest, at 59 (upper middle). Among 12 scored small-town markets in or partly in Arkansas, the Searcy area scores highest, at 62 (upper middle). Among 36 scored counties in Arkansas, Benton County scores highest, at 68 (upper middle). 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. Arkansas scores 34 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #40 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 Arkansas. 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
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Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in Arkansas
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Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.