Child care · County · California
Child care centers and preschools in Kern County, CA
How Kern 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #174 of 1,611 scored counties
#6 of 49 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 133
- 22 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 139
- +59.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $172.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $605 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.7
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Kern 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 Kern 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 133 child care centers and preschools in Kern County. 22 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.7 for every 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $605 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in Kern County spend about $172.3M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each center on map listings, 29% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 139 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Kern County in 2023, up 59.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,050 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 3,450 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $8.3M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Kern County.
Population estimates show Kern County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kern County scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #174 of 1,611 scored counties and #6 of 49 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Kern 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 | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.7 | 6.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.3M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,050 | 1,401 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +59.8% | +8.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $605 | $886 | $581 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 87 → 139+59.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,247
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $41M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3,450Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13322 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 172The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $8.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Kern 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 Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern 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 Kern 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 Kern 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 Kern 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 preschools74
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Kern County, CA?
There are 133 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Kern County as of September 2026. 22 of them (17%) 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 59.8% from 2019. Another 3,450 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $172.3M a year, or $605 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 133 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Kern County has 4.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.3M, 29% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Kern County would have about 172, against 133 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,050 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 59.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Kern County scores 74 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #174 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern 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 Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern 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 Kern 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.