Child care · County · Arkansas
Child care centers and preschools in Ashley County, AR
The child care centers and preschools in Ashley County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 14 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,560 of 1,611 scored counties
#28 of 36 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 7
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $1.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $264 a household
- Spending per listing
- $278K
- 72% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.5
- 64% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 17,831
- −5.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Ashley 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 Ashley 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
Ashley County scores 14 (low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,560 of 1,611 scored counties and #28 of 36 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $264 per household (54% below the U.S. average), households in Ashley County spend about $1.9M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $278K per center, 72% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 7 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Ashley County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 9.5 for every 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Ashley County was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 1,839 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Ashley County from 2020 to 2025 at −5.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Ashley County compares
The same measures for Arkansas 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 | Ashley County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.5 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $278K | $702K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,839 | 1,657 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.9% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $264 | $385 | $581 |
| Median household income | $44,266 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 14 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 34
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $778K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 70 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Ashley 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 Ashley County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 17,831−5.9% since 2020
- Households
- 7,356
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 926 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 20
- Median household income
- $44,266−1.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $58,274
- Median home value
- $91,900
- Jobs located here
- 5,531
- Daytime population
- 17,238Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ashley 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 Ashley 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 Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Ashley County marked.
Top counties in Arkansas
| 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 |
| 28Ashley County, AR | 14 | 7 | 9.5 | $278K | −5.9% | #1,560 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Ashley 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 preschools14
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Ashley County, AR?
As of September 2026, map listings count 7 child care centers and preschools in Ashley County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Ashley County, AR spend on child care and other personal services?
About $1.9M a year, or $264 per household. That is 54% below the U.S. average (an index of 46, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $278K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,356 households in Ashley County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ashley County, AR compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Ashley County has 9.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $278K, 72% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Ashley County would have about 2, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,839 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Ashley County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Ashley County at 17,831 people in 2025, down 5.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,356 households. Median household income in Ashley County is $44,266, 45% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median fell 1.1%, 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. Ashley County scores 14 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,560 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ashley 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 Ashley County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ashley 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 Ashley 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.