Child care · County · California
Child care centers and preschools in Orange County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Orange County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #273 of 1,611 scored counties
#11 of 49 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 666
- 73 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 632
- +14.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On child care and other personal services · $1,009 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 64% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,149,507
- −1.1% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Orange 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 Orange 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 Orange County comes to about $1.1B a year: $1,009 per household, 74% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.6M per center, 64% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 666 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Orange County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 6.1 per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 632 businesses with payroll in Orange County classed as child care services, up 14.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,714 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 4,245 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 27 SBA-backed loans worth $28.3M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Orange County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Orange County declined 1.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Orange County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #273 of 1,611 scored counties and #11 of 49 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Orange 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 | Orange County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 6.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $1.3M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,714 | 1,401 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.9% | +8.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $1,009 | $886 | $581 |
| Median household income | $116,289 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 550 → 632+14.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,307
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $251.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4,245Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 66673 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,091The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 27
- Amount
- $28.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Orange 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 Orange County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,149,507−1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 1,082,960
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 793 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,991
- Median household income
- $116,289+28.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $156,761
- Median home value
- $962,600
- Jobs located here
- 1,713,003
- Daytime population
- 3,381,147Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Orange 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 Orange 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 Orange 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 |
| 11Orange County, CA | 69 | 666 | 6.1 | $1.6M | −1.1% | #273 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Orange 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 preschools69
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Orange County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 666 child care centers and preschools in Orange County. 73 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 632 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 14.9% from 2019. Official counts list 4,245 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Orange County, CA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $1.1B a year, or $1,009 per household. That is 74% above the U.S. average (an index of 174, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 666 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,082,960 households in Orange County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Orange County, CA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Orange County has 6.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.6M, 64% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Orange County would have about 1,091, against 666 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,714 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Orange County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Orange County at 3,149,507 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,082,960 households. Median household income in Orange County is $116,289, 44% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.9%, 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. Orange County scores 69 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #273 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Orange 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 Orange County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Orange 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 Orange 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.