Child care · County · Florida
Child care centers and preschools in Bay County, FL
The child care centers and preschools in Bay County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #345 of 1,611 scored counties
#22 of 56 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 39
- 4 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 37
- +8.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $34.8M
- On child care and other personal services · $442 a household
- Spending per listing
- $893K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 204,479
- +17.2% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Bay 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 Bay 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 Bay County comes to about $34.8M a year: $442 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That works out to $893K per center, 11% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Bay County has 39 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 5.0 per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Bay County in 2023, up 8.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,129 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 211 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.9M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Bay County.
Population estimates put the population change in Bay County from 2020 to 2025 at +17.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Bay County scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #345 of 1,611 scored counties and #22 of 56 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Bay County compares
The same measures for Florida 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 | Bay County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $893K | $866K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,129 | 1,882 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.8% | +6.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +17.2% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $442 | $476 | $581 |
| Median household income | $73,533 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34 → 37+8.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 508
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 211Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 394 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Bay 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 Bay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 204,479+17.2% since 2020
- Households
- 78,778
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 759 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 246
- Median household income
- $73,533+35.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,618
- Median home value
- $310,500
- Jobs located here
- 79,343
- Daytime population
- 189,844Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bay 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 Bay 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 Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Florida for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Florida, with Bay County marked.
Top counties in Florida
| 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 |
| 22Bay County, FL | 67 | 39 | 5.0 | $893K | +17.2% | #345 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Bay 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 preschools67
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Bay County, FL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 39 child care centers and preschools in Bay County. 4 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 8.8% from 2019. Another 211 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Bay County, FL spend on child care and other personal services?
About $34.8M a year, or $442 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $893K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 78,778 households in Bay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bay County, FL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Bay County has 5.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $893K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Bay County would have about 35, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,129 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Bay County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Bay County at 204,479 people in 2025, up 17.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 78,778 households. Median household income in Bay County is $73,533, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.4%, 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. Bay County scores 67 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #345 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bay 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 Bay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bay 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 Bay 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.