Market rankings · Connecticut
Child care centers and preschools in Connecticut
Markets across Connecticut ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,089
- 140 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 948
- +4.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.6
- 31% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $968K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #17 of 51
- Market score 61 · Upper middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Connecticut by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 1,089 child care centers and preschools in Connecticut. Chain locations make up 13% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.6, 31% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $735 per household (27% above the U.S. average), households in Connecticut spend about $1.1B a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 1,089 child care centers and preschools, that is $968K per center, 3% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 948 businesses with payroll in Connecticut classed as child care services, up 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,513 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 62 SBA-backed loans worth $36.6M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Connecticut.
Among the 50 states and DC, Connecticut ranks #17 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle). Of the 5 scored metro areas in or partly in Connecticut, the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area scores highest (69). Of the 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Connecticut, the Torrington area scores highest (78).
Every market in Connecticut for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Connecticut, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 69 | 62 | 5.4 | $1.2M | +2.0% | #59 of 387 |
| 2Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 59 | 345 | 7.4 | $967K | +3.0% | #128 of 387 |
| 3Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 55 | 124 | 6.9 | $944K | +3.2% | #166 of 387 |
| 4Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 54 | 337 | 9.5 | $938K | +3.7% | #172 of 387 |
| 5New Haven, CT | 51 | 173 | 7.5 | $906K | +2.5% | #188 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Torrington, CT | 78 | 24 | 5.0 | $1.4M | +2.2% | #26 of 454 |
| 2Putnam, CT | 74 | 24 | 6.1 | $1M | +3.0% | #50 of 454 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 74 | 24 | 5.0 | $1.4M | +2.2% | #172 of 1,611 |
| 2Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 72 | 62 | 5.4 | $1.2M | +2.0% | #215 of 1,611 |
| 3Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 68 | 24 | 6.1 | $1M | +3.0% | #318 of 1,611 |
| 4Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 64 | 52 | 7.0 | $1.1M | +2.3% | #423 of 1,611 |
| 5Capitol Planning Region, CT | 63 | 293 | 7.5 | $945K | +3.1% | #460 of 1,611 |
| 6Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 61 | 225 | 9.6 | $1M | +3.5% | #516 of 1,611 |
| 7Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 60 | 124 | 6.9 | $944K | +3.2% | #546 of 1,611 |
| 8South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 57 | 173 | 7.5 | $906K | +2.5% | #634 of 1,611 |
| 9Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 53 | 112 | 9.4 | $791K | +4.1% | #754 of 1,611 |
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Connecticut?
Connecticut has 1,089 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 140 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 948 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. Another 6,560 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Connecticut spend on child care and other personal services?
About $1.1B a year, or $735 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,089 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $968K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,434,007 households in Connecticut and national spending patterns by income.
How does Connecticut compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Connecticut has 7.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $968K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Connecticut would have about 1,052, against 1,089 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,513 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Connecticut has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 5 scored metro areas in or partly in Connecticut, the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area scores highest, at 69 (upper middle). Among 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Connecticut, the Torrington area scores highest, at 78 (high). Among 9 scored counties in Connecticut, the Northwest Hills Planning Region scores highest, at 74 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Connecticut scores 61 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #17 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Connecticut. 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.
Child care and preschools in other states
All 51 states
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Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in Connecticut
Screening a site or an acquisition in Connecticut?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.