Child care · County · California
Child care centers and preschools in Sonoma County, CA
How Sonoma 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 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #500 of 1,611 scored counties
#23 of 49 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 129
- 8 chain locations (6%)
- Official establishments
- 152
- +5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $174M
- On child care and other personal services · $911 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 35% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.8
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 486,444
- −0.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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 Sonoma County comes to about $174M a year: $911 per household, 57% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each center on map listings, 35% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Sonoma County has 129 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 6% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.8, 17% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Sonoma County was 152 in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,257 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 716 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $3.7M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Sonoma County.
Population estimates put the population change in Sonoma County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For child care centers and preschools, Sonoma County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #500 of 1,611 scored counties and #23 of 49 scored counties in California.
How Sonoma 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 | Sonoma County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.8 | 6.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.3M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,257 | 1,401 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.6% | +8.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $911 | $886 | $581 |
| Median household income | $104,674 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 144 → 152+5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 895
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 716Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1298 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 174The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $3.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 486,444−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 190,998
- Median age
- 44.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,575 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 308
- Median household income
- $104,674+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,354
- Median home value
- $815,500
- Jobs located here
- 200,159
- Daytime population
- 465,573Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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 |
| 23Sonoma County, CA | 61 | 129 | 6.8 | $1.3M | −0.4% | #500 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 129 child care centers and preschools in Sonoma County. 8 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 152 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 716 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Sonoma County, CA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $174M a year, or $911 per household. That is 57% above the U.S. average (an index of 157, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 129 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 190,998 households in Sonoma County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sonoma County, CA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Sonoma County has 6.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.3M, 35% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Sonoma County would have about 174, against 129 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,257 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Sonoma County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Sonoma County at 486,444 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 190,998 households. Median household income in Sonoma County is $104,674, 30% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.2%, 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. Sonoma County scores 61 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #500 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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.