Child care · County · California
Child care centers and preschools in Los Angeles County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Los Angeles County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #505 of 1,611 scored counties
#25 of 49 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 2,251
- 240 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 2,007
- +3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.8B
- On child care and other personal services · $814 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 23% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.6
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 9,694,934
- −3.0% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Los Angeles County comes to about $2.8B a year: $814 per household, 40% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.2M of household spending for each center on map listings, 23% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 2,251 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Los Angeles County as of September 2026. 240 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 6.6 per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Los Angeles County was 2,007 in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,702 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 28,757 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 80 SBA-backed loans worth $64.6M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Los Angeles County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Los Angeles County declined 3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Los Angeles County scores 61 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #505 of 1,611 scored counties and #25 of 49 scored counties in California.
How Los Angeles 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 | Los Angeles County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.6 | 6.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.3M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,702 | 1,401 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.9% | +8.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.0% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $814 | $886 | $581 |
| Median household income | $90,112 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,931 → 2,007+3.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 22,038
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $799.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28,757Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,251240 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,776The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 80
- Amount
- $64.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 9,694,934−3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 3,416,449
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 46%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 4,060 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,416
- Median household income
- $90,112+32.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $128,768
- Median home value
- $834,200
- Jobs located here
- 4,875,632
- Daytime population
- 10,082,231Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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 |
| 25Los Angeles County, CA | 61 | 2,251 | 6.6 | $1.2M | −3.0% | #505 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Los Angeles 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 preschools61
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Los Angeles County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,251 child care centers and preschools in Los Angeles County. 240 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 2,007 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. Official counts list 28,757 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Los Angeles County, CA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $2.8B a year, or $814 per household. That is 40% above the U.S. average (an index of 140, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,251 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,416,449 households in Los Angeles County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Los Angeles County, CA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Los Angeles County has 6.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.2M, 23% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Los Angeles County would have about 2,776, against 2,251 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,702 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Los Angeles County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Los Angeles County at 9,694,934 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 3,416,449 households. Median household income in Los Angeles County is $90,112, 12% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.4%, 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. Los Angeles County scores 61 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #505 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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.