Child care · County · California
Child care centers and preschools in Mendocino County, CA
The child care centers and preschools in Mendocino County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #897 of 1,611 scored counties
#43 of 49 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 23
- 1 chain location (4%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- +4.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $21M
- On child care and other personal services · $601 a household
- Spending per listing
- $911K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.6
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 88,122
- −3.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Mendocino 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 Mendocino 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 23 child care centers and preschools in Mendocino County. One of them (4%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.6, 14% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Mendocino County spend about $21M a year on child care and other personal services, or $601 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 23 child care centers and preschools, that is $911K per center, 9% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Mendocino County was 22 in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,584 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 136 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Mendocino County declined 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For child care centers and preschools, Mendocino County has a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle): #897 of 1,611 scored counties and #43 of 49 scored counties in California.
How Mendocino 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 | Mendocino County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.6 | 6.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $911K | $1.3M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,584 | 1,401 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.8% | +8.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.5% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $601 | $886 | $581 |
| Median household income | $68,092 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 22+4.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 128
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 136Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 231 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The 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 Mendocino 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 Mendocino County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 88,122−3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 34,842
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,507 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 26
- Median household income
- $68,092+32.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,438
- Median home value
- $512,200
- Jobs located here
- 29,495
- Daytime population
- 87,475Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mendocino 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 Mendocino 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 Mendocino 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 |
| 43Mendocino County, CA | 47 | 23 | 6.6 | $911K | −3.5% | #897 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Mendocino 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 preschools47
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Mendocino County, CA?
Mendocino County has 23 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (4%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 136 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mendocino County, CA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $21M a year, or $601 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $911K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,842 households in Mendocino County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mendocino County, CA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Mendocino 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 $911K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Mendocino County would have about 21, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,584 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Mendocino County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Mendocino County at 88,122 people in 2025, down 3.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 34,842 households. The median household income in Mendocino County is $68,092 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.4% 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. Mendocino County scores 47 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #897 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mendocino 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 Mendocino County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mendocino 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 Mendocino 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.