Child care · County · Delaware
Child care centers and preschools in New Castle County, DE
How New Castle County, DE 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 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,014 of 1,611 scored counties
#2 of 3 scored counties in Delaware
- Listings
- 180
- 22 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 225
- +4.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $127M
- On child care and other personal services · $567 a household
- Spending per listing
- $706K
- 30% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.0
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 588,026
- +3.0% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in New Castle 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 New Castle 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 New Castle County spend about $127M a year on child care and other personal services, or $567 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 180 child care centers and preschools, that is $706K per center, 30% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
New Castle County has 180 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 22 are chain locations, or 12%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 8.0 per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 225 businesses with payroll in New Castle County classed as child care services, up 4.7% from 2019. That is one for every 996 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 489 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $6.2M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in New Castle County.
Population estimates put the population change in New Castle County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). New Castle County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,014 of 1,611 scored counties and #2 of 3 scored counties in Delaware.
How New Castle County compares
The same measures for Delaware 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 | New Castle County | Delaware | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.0 | 6.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $706K | $808K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 996 | 1,152 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.7% | +0.9% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +6.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $567 | $522 | $581 |
| Median household income | $91,166 | $84,954 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 215 → 225+4.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,357
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $100.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 489Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18022 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 127The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $6.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in New Castle 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 New Castle County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 588,026+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 224,173
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 426 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,356
- Median household income
- $91,166+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,517
- Median home value
- $352,200
- Jobs located here
- 298,174
- Daytime population
- 607,117Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in New Castle 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 New Castle 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 Delaware
Every Delaware market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Delaware for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Delaware, with New Castle County marked.
Top counties in Delaware
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sussex County, DE | 78 | 35 | 3.3 | $1.5M | +16.1% | #113 of 1,611 |
| 2New Castle County, DE | 43 | 180 | 8.0 | $706K | +3.0% | #1,014 of 1,611 |
| 3Kent County, DE | 41 | 45 | 6.3 | $674K | +6.8% | #1,072 of 1,611 |
Other business types in New Castle 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 preschools43
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in New Castle County, DE?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 180 child care centers and preschools in New Castle County. 22 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 225 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 489 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in New Castle County, DE spend on child care and other personal services?
About $127M a year, or $567 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 180 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $706K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 224,173 households in New Castle County and national spending patterns by income.
How does New Castle County, DE compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
New Castle County has 8.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $706K, 30% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, New Castle County would have about 127, against 180 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 996 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is New Castle County, DE growing?
Population estimates put New Castle County at 588,026 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 224,173 households. Median household income in New Castle County is $91,166, 13% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. New Castle County scores 43 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,014 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Castle 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 New Castle County
Screening a site or an acquisition in New Castle 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 New Castle 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.