Child care · County · Arkansas
Child care centers and preschools in Columbia County, AR
The child care centers and preschools in Columbia County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 6 out of 100: Very low
Ranked #1,601 of 1,611 scored counties
#36 of 36 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 13
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $2.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $347 a household
- Spending per listing
- $225K
- 78% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.5
- 2.7 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,894
- −3.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Columbia 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 Columbia 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
Columbia County scores 6 (very low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,601 of 1,611 scored counties and #36 of 36 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Columbia County spend about $2.9M a year on child care and other personal services, or $347 per household, 40% below the U.S. average. Spread across 13 child care centers and preschools, that is $225K per center, 78% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Columbia County has 13 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 15.5 for every 10,000 households, 2.7 times the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Columbia County was 11 in 2023. That is one for every 764 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Columbia County declined 3.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Columbia 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 | Columbia County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.5 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $225K | $702K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 764 | 1,657 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.7% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $347 | $385 | $581 |
| Median household income | $55,334 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 6 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 88
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 130 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,894−3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 8,409
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 766 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $55,334+52.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,996
- Median home value
- $152,100
- Jobs located here
- 7,940
- Daytime population
- 21,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbia 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 Columbia 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 Columbia 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 |
| 36Columbia County, AR | 6 | 13 | 15.5 | $225K | −3.7% | #1,601 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Columbia 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 preschools6
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Columbia County, AR?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 13 child care centers and preschools in Columbia County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Columbia County, AR spend on child care and other personal services?
About $2.9M a year, or $347 per household. That is 40% below the U.S. average (an index of 60, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $225K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,409 households in Columbia County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbia County, AR compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Columbia County has 15.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 2.7 times the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $225K, 78% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Columbia County would have about 3, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 764 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Columbia County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Columbia County at 21,894 people in 2025, down 3.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,409 households. Median household income in Columbia County is $55,334, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 52.9%, 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. Columbia County scores 6 for child care centers and preschools (very low), #1,601 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbia 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 Columbia County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbia 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 Columbia 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.