Market rankings · Florida
Child care centers and preschools in Florida
Markets across Florida ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 4,816
- 606 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 4,651
- +6.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $4.2B
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 5% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $866K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #13 of 51
- Market score 63 · Upper middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Florida 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 4,816 child care centers and preschools in Florida. Of those, 606 are chain locations, or 13%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.5 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $476 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Florida spend about $4.2B a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $866K per center, 14% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 4,651 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Florida in 2023, up 6.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,882 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, 430 SBA-backed loans worth $400M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Florida.
Among the 50 states and DC, Florida ranks #13 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle). Of the 22 scored metro areas in or partly in Florida, the Naples-Marco Island metro area scores highest (91). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in Florida, the Key West-Key Largo area scores highest (69).
Every market in Florida for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Florida, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Naples-Marco Island, FL | 91 | 63 | 3.8 | $1.6M | +10.6% | #4 of 387 |
| 2Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 88 | 12 | 1.7 | $2.5M | +21.1% | #6 of 387 |
| 3North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | 81 | 171 | 4.4 | $1.2M | +13.2% | #18 of 387 |
| 4Punta Gorda, FL | 80 | 30 | 3.3 | $1.2M | +15.5% | #20 of 387 |
| 5Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL | 79 | 27 | 3.8 | $1.2M | +7.7% | #23 of 387 |
| 6Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 79 | 106 | 4.1 | $1.2M | +9.1% | #24 of 387 |
| 7Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 78 | 143 | 4.4 | $1.1M | +14.4% | #26 of 387 |
| 8Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | 74 | 63 | 5.3 | $976K | +9.4% | #39 of 387 |
| 9Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 72 | 85 | 4.2 | $1.1M | +6.5% | #48 of 387 |
| 10Port St. Lucie, FL | 69 | 103 | 5.0 | $916K | +16.0% | #62 of 387 |
| 11Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | 63 | 132 | 4.5 | $945K | +11.2% | #94 of 387 |
| 12Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 61 | 685 | 5.1 | $935K | +7.3% | #113 of 387 |
| 13Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL | 61 | 44 | 5.0 | $860K | +15.7% | #115 of 387 |
| 14Homosassa Springs, FL | 59 | 30 | 4.2 | $852K | +11.1% | #130 of 387 |
| 15Ocala, FL | 59 | 69 | 4.2 | $850K | +17.3% | #131 of 387 |
| 16Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 51 | 635 | 6.2 | $782K | +10.3% | #189 of 387 |
| 17Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 51 | 153 | 5.3 | $741K | +19.8% | #190 of 387 |
| 18Jacksonville, FL | 49 | 443 | 6.7 | $747K | +10.7% | #204 of 387 |
| 19Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 46 | 1,456 | 6.2 | $811K | +4.2% | #230 of 387 |
| 20Gainesville, FL | 40 | 83 | 5.8 | $731K | +5.4% | #268 of 387 |
| 21Sebring, FL | 39 | 25 | 5.3 | $627K | +9.7% | #275 of 387 |
| 22Tallahassee, FL | 28 | 126 | 8.0 | $537K | +3.1% | #342 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Key West-Key Largo, FL | 69 | 16 | 4.7 | $1.2M | −2.9% | #79 of 454 |
| 2Okeechobee, FL | 52 | 8 | 5.3 | $646K | +7.4% | #219 of 454 |
| 3Palatka, FL | 48 | 13 | 4.1 | $770K | +5.9% | #242 of 454 |
| 4Clewiston, FL | 43 | 11 | 5.9 | $612K | +18.8% | #296 of 454 |
| 5Lake City, FL | 38 | 20 | 7.3 | $498K | +6.2% | #331 of 454 |
| 6Arcadia, FL | 34 | 7 | 5.5 | $546K | +8.8% | #360 of 454 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Collier County, FL | 92 | 63 | 3.8 | $1.6M | +10.6% | #7 of 1,611 |
| 2Flagler County, FL | 91 | 9 | 1.7 | $2.8M | +21.0% | #9 of 1,611 |
| 3Sumter County, FL | 90 | 12 | 1.7 | $2.5M | +21.1% | #14 of 1,611 |
| 4Santa Rosa County, FL | 89 | 27 | 3.7 | $1.4M | +11.7% | #19 of 1,611 |
| 5Walton County, FL | 87 | 15 | 4.4 | $1.2M | +22.9% | #29 of 1,611 |
| 6Sarasota County, FL | 85 | 90 | 4.2 | $1.2M | +10.0% | #40 of 1,611 |
| 7St. Johns County, FL | 84 | 68 | 5.9 | $1.2M | +25.0% | #49 of 1,611 |
| 8Martin County, FL | 83 | 28 | 4.1 | $1.3M | +4.8% | #58 of 1,611 |
| 9Charlotte County, FL | 83 | 30 | 3.3 | $1.2M | +15.5% | #59 of 1,611 |
| 10Lake County, FL | 83 | 59 | 3.6 | $1.2M | +18.1% | #60 of 1,611 |
| 11Indian River County, FL | 80 | 27 | 3.8 | $1.2M | +7.7% | #86 of 1,611 |
| 12Brevard County, FL | 80 | 106 | 4.1 | $1.2M | +9.1% | #89 of 1,611 |
| 13Hernando County, FL | 79 | 23 | 2.8 | $1.4M | +13.3% | #98 of 1,611 |
| 14Lee County, FL | 79 | 143 | 4.4 | $1.1M | +14.4% | #105 of 1,611 |
| 15Manatee County, FL | 74 | 81 | 4.6 | $1.1M | +16.6% | #182 of 1,611 |
| 16Palm Beach County, FL | 73 | 308 | 5.1 | $1.1M | +5.5% | #199 of 1,611 |
| 17Nassau County, FL | 72 | 19 | 4.8 | $1.1M | +17.4% | #217 of 1,611 |
| 18Clay County, FL | 71 | 40 | 4.8 | $1M | +9.4% | #240 of 1,611 |
| 19Pasco County, FL | 71 | 112 | 4.7 | $949K | +19.1% | #246 of 1,611 |
| 20Okaloosa County, FL | 68 | 48 | 5.6 | $895K | +4.6% | #324 of 1,611 |
| 21Monroe County, FL | 67 | 16 | 4.7 | $1.2M | −2.9% | #333 of 1,611 |
| 22Bay County, FL | 67 | 39 | 5.0 | $893K | +17.2% | #345 of 1,611 |
| 23Citrus County, FL | 66 | 30 | 4.2 | $852K | +11.1% | #376 of 1,611 |
| 24Marion County, FL | 65 | 69 | 4.2 | $850K | +17.3% | #404 of 1,611 |
| 25St. Lucie County, FL | 62 | 75 | 5.5 | $767K | +21.4% | #495 of 1,611 |
Show all 67 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Levy County, FL | 61 | 6 | 3.2 | $1.1M | +12.7% | #511 of 1,611 |
| 27Osceola County, FL | 60 | 74 | 5.2 | $796K | +23.2% | #558 of 1,611 |
| 28Escambia County, FL | 59 | 58 | 4.5 | $927K | +3.5% | #575 of 1,611 |
| 29Hillsborough County, FL | 59 | 357 | 6.1 | $841K | +7.4% | #581 of 1,611 |
| 30Volusia County, FL | 59 | 123 | 5.1 | $811K | +9.1% | #583 of 1,611 |
| 31Pinellas County, FL | 58 | 193 | 4.5 | $1.1M | −1.2% | #603 of 1,611 |
| 32Polk County, FL | 58 | 153 | 5.3 | $741K | +19.8% | #616 of 1,611 |
| 33Broward County, FL | 57 | 456 | 6.0 | $825K | +3.6% | #638 of 1,611 |
| 34Seminole County, FL | 52 | 134 | 7.2 | $744K | +4.3% | #777 of 1,611 |
| 35Orange County, FL | 52 | 368 | 7.0 | $725K | +6.7% | #778 of 1,611 |
| 36Highlands County, FL | 47 | 25 | 5.3 | $627K | +9.7% | #909 of 1,611 |
| 37Alachua County, FL | 46 | 75 | 6.4 | $688K | +3.7% | #935 of 1,611 |
| 38Okeechobee County, FL | 46 | 8 | 5.3 | $646K | +7.4% | #940 of 1,611 |
| 39Washington County, FL | 46 | 5 | 5.4 | $605K | +5.4% | #946 of 1,611 |
| 40Duval County, FL | 45 | 304 | 7.3 | $606K | +6.5% | #964 of 1,611 |
| 41Suwannee County, FL | 44 | 9 | 5.6 | $613K | +10.6% | #989 of 1,611 |
| 42Miami-Dade County, FL | 43 | 692 | 7.1 | $678K | +4.0% | #1,016 of 1,611 |
| 43Putnam County, FL | 42 | 13 | 4.1 | $770K | +5.9% | #1,035 of 1,611 |
| 44Wakulla County, FL | 42 | 9 | 7.1 | $630K | +12.3% | #1,047 of 1,611 |
| 45Leon County, FL | 37 | 98 | 8.0 | $554K | +1.7% | #1,171 of 1,611 |
| 46Hendry County, FL | 33 | 10 | 7.1 | $534K | +21.5% | #1,276 of 1,611 |
| 47Jefferson County, FL | 33 | 6 | 10.4 | $395K | +11.1% | #1,287 of 1,611 |
| 48Columbia County, FL | 31 | 20 | 7.3 | $498K | +6.2% | #1,319 of 1,611 |
| 49Jackson County, FL | 31 | 11 | 6.4 | $456K | +5.4% | #1,323 of 1,611 |
| 50DeSoto County, FL | 30 | 7 | 5.5 | $546K | +8.8% | #1,334 of 1,611 |
| 51Baker County, FL | 29 | 12 | 13.1 | $343K | +5.8% | #1,366 of 1,611 |
| 52Hardee County, FL | 26 | 5 | 6.1 | $606K | +2.4% | #1,403 of 1,611 |
| 53Taylor County, FL | 22 | 5 | 6.3 | $474K | −2.5% | #1,456 of 1,611 |
| 54Bradford County, FL | 19 | 7 | 7.5 | $464K | +0.3% | #1,498 of 1,611 |
| 55Gadsden County, FL | 19 | 13 | 7.7 | $411K | +2.0% | #1,503 of 1,611 |
| 56Madison County, FL | 18 | 5 | 7.2 | $389K | +5.0% | #1,517 of 1,611 |
| Holmes County, FL | Not scored | 4 | 5.7 | $497K | +2.7% | |
| Gilchrist County, FL | Not scored | 2 | 2.8 | $1.4M | +14.5% | |
| Dixie County, FL | Not scored | 2 | 3.2 | $820K | +8.0% | |
| Union County, FL | Not scored | 1 | 2.3 | $1.7M | +5.2% | |
| Gulf County, FL | Not scored | 3 | 5.0 | $809K | +11.7% | |
| Hamilton County, FL | Not scored | 3 | 7.0 | $388K | +3.3% | |
| Calhoun County, FL | Not scored | 2 | 4.3 | $736K | −3.0% | |
| Glades County, FL | Not scored | 1 | 2.2 | $1.4M | +9.9% | |
| Franklin County, FL | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +4.5% | |
| Lafayette County, FL | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +6.8% | |
| Liberty County, FL | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +2.8% |
Markets with fewer than 5 child care centers and preschools on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Florida?
Florida has 4,816 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 606 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 4,651 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 6.4% from 2019. Official counts list 32,706 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Florida spend on child care and other personal services?
About $4.2B a year, or $476 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,816 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $866K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,752,810 households in Florida and national spending patterns by income.
How does Florida compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Florida has 5.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $866K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Florida would have about 4,162, against 4,816 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,882 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Florida has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 22 scored metro areas in or partly in Florida, the Naples-Marco Island metro area scores highest, at 91 (very high). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in Florida, the Key West-Key Largo area scores highest, at 69 (upper middle). Among 56 scored counties in Florida, Collier County scores highest, at 92 (very high). 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. Florida scores 63 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #13 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 Florida. 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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- South Carolina
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- Texas
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- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
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Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in Florida
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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.