Child care · County · California
Child care centers and preschools in Fresno County, CA
How Fresno County, CA 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 79 out of 100: High
Ranked #99 of 1,611 scored counties
#4 of 49 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 158
- 12 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 139
- +11.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $212.1M
- On child care and other personal services · $653 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 34% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.9
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,035,456
- +2.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Fresno 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 Fresno 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, Fresno County has a Groundwork market score of 79 (high): #99 of 1,611 scored counties and #4 of 49 scored counties in California. 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 Fresno County comes to about $212.1M a year: $653 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.3M per center, 34% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 158 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Fresno County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 8% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.9 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Fresno County was 139 in 2023, up 11.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,336 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $690K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Fresno County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Fresno County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Fresno County compares
The same measures for California 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 | Fresno County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.9 | 6.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.3M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,336 | 1,401 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.2% | +8.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $653 | $886 | $581 |
| Median household income | $74,201 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 79 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 125 → 139+11.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,939
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $72.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3,119Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15812 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 212The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $690K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Fresno 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 Fresno County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,035,456+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 324,702
- Median age
- 34.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 5,959 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 171
- Median household income
- $74,201+37.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,641
- Median home value
- $388,800
- Jobs located here
- 413,154
- Daytime population
- 1,017,627Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Fresno 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 Fresno 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in California, with Fresno County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Riverside County, CA | 86 | 388 | 5.0 | $1.6M | +5.0% | #32 of 1,611 |
| 2San Bernardino County, CA | 82 | 305 | 4.5 | $1.6M | +1.9% | #62 of 1,611 |
| 3Amador County, CA | 79 | 8 | 5.0 | $1.4M | +3.2% | #97 of 1,611 |
| 4Fresno County, CA | 79 | 158 | 4.9 | $1.3M | +2.6% | #99 of 1,611 |
| 5Madera County, CA | 76 | 23 | 5.1 | $1.3M | +7.4% | #143 of 1,611 |
| 6Kern County, CA | 74 | 133 | 4.7 | $1.3M | +2.3% | #174 of 1,611 |
| 7Tulare County, CA | 74 | 74 | 5.2 | $1.1M | +2.4% | #179 of 1,611 |
| 8San Benito County, CA | 73 | 14 | 6.8 | $1.4M | +8.6% | #191 of 1,611 |
| 9San Joaquin County, CA | 72 | 175 | 7.1 | $1.1M | +5.5% | #219 of 1,611 |
| 10Merced County, CA | 70 | 50 | 5.8 | $962K | +5.1% | #267 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Fresno 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 preschools79
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Fresno County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 158 child care centers and preschools in Fresno County. 12 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 139 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 11.2% from 2019. Another 3,119 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Fresno County, CA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $212.1M a year, or $653 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 158 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 324,702 households in Fresno County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Fresno County, CA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Fresno County has 4.9 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.3M, 34% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Fresno County would have about 212, against 158 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,336 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Fresno County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Fresno County at 1,035,456 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 324,702 households. Median household income in Fresno County is $74,201, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.5%, 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. Fresno County scores 79 for child care centers and preschools (high), #99 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Fresno 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 Fresno County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Fresno 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 Fresno 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.