Child care · County · Connecticut
Child care centers and preschools in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT
How the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT 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 #516 of 1,611 scored counties
#6 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 225
- 29 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 195
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $227.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $967 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.6
- 66% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 640,482
- +3.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Western Connecticut Planning Region
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 the Western Connecticut Planning Region. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 225 child care centers and preschools in the Western Connecticut Planning Region. Of those, 29 are chain locations, or 13%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 9.6 for every 10,000 households, 66% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in the Western Connecticut Planning Region spend about $227.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $967 per household, 67% above the U.S. average. Spread across 225 child care centers and preschools, that is $1M per center, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in the Western Connecticut Planning Region was 195 in 2023. That is one for every 1,207 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 1,216 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $11.7M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in the Western Connecticut Planning Region.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Western Connecticut Planning Region grew 3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, the Western Connecticut Planning Region has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #516 of 1,611 scored counties and #6 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the Western Connecticut Planning Region compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | Western Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.6 | 7.6 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $968K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,207 | 1,513 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.6% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $967 | $735 | $581 |
| Median household income | $128,188 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 195
- Employees, 2023
- 3,689
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $131.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,216Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22529 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 227The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $11.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, 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 the Western Connecticut Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 640,482+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 235,379
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 532 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,178
- Median household income
- $128,188
- Average household income
- $214,675
- Median home value
- $652,900
- Jobs located here
- 282,077
- Daytime population
- 636,160Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Western Connecticut Planning Region?
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 the Western Connecticut Planning Region. 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Connecticut for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Western Connecticut Planning Region marked.
Top counties in Connecticut
| 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 |
Other business types in the Western Connecticut Planning Region
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 the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT?
There are 225 child care centers and preschools on map listings in the Western Connecticut Planning Region as of September 2026. 29 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 195 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts list 1,216 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT spend on child care and other personal services?
About $227.6M a year, or $967 per household. That is 67% above the U.S. average (an index of 167, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 225 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 235,379 households in the Western Connecticut Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Western Connecticut Planning Region has 9.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 66% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1M, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, the Western Connecticut Planning Region would have about 227, against 225 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,207 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the Western Connecticut Planning Region at 640,482 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 235,379 households. The median household income in the Western Connecticut Planning Region is $128,188 a year, 59% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Western Connecticut Planning Region scores 61 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #516 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Western Connecticut Planning Region. 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 the Western Connecticut Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Western Connecticut Planning Region?
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 the Western Connecticut Planning Region. 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.