Child care · County · California
Child care centers and preschools in San Diego County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in San Diego County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #473 of 1,611 scored counties
#21 of 49 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 767
- 85 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 883
- +13.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On child care and other personal services · $919 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 40% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.5
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in San Diego 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 San Diego 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
Households in San Diego County spend about $1.1B a year on child care and other personal services, or $919 per household, 58% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each center on map listings, 40% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 767 child care centers and preschools on map listings in San Diego County as of September 2026. Of those, 85 are chain locations, or 11%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 6.5 per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 883 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in San Diego County in 2023, up 13.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,326 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 6,423 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 44 SBA-backed loans worth $33.3M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in San Diego County.
Population estimates show San Diego County declined 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. San Diego County scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #473 of 1,611 scored counties and #21 of 49 scored counties in California.
How San Diego 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 | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.5 | 6.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.3M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,326 | 1,401 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.2% | +8.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $919 | $886 | $581 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 780 → 883+13.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,611
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $314.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6,423Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 76785 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,075The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 44
- Amount
- $33.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in San Diego 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 San Diego County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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 |
| 21San Diego County, CA | 62 | 767 | 6.5 | $1.4M | −0.6% | #473 of 1,611 |
Other business types in San Diego 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 preschools62
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in San Diego County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 767 child care centers and preschools in San Diego County. 85 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 883 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 13.2% from 2019. Official counts list 6,423 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $1.1B a year, or $919 per household. That is 58% above the U.S. average (an index of 158, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 767 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
San Diego County has 6.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.4M, 40% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, San Diego County would have about 1,075, against 767 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,326 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 62 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #473 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego 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 San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.