Groundwork

Child care · County · Florida

Child care centers and preschools in Lake County, FL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Lake County, FL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 83 out of 100: High

Ranked #60 of 1,611 scored counties
#10 of 56 scored counties in Florida

Listings
59
6 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments
48
−2.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$71M
On child care and other personal services · $432 a household
Spending per listing
$1.2M
20% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.6
38% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
456,068
+18.1% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Lake 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 Lake County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Lake County scores 83 (high) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #60 of 1,611 scored counties and #10 of 56 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for child care centers and preschools.

At $432 per household (26% below the U.S. average), households in Lake County spend about $71M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 59 child care centers and preschools, that is $1.2M per center, 20% above the U.S. figure of $1M.

There are 59 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Lake County as of September 2026. 6 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 3.6 for every 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.

Official counts show 48 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Lake County in 2023, down 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 3,427 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $5M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Lake County. Population estimates put the population change in Lake County from 2020 to 2025 at +18.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Lake 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.

Child care and preschools in Lake County, FL compared with Florida and the U.S.
MeasureLake CountyFloridaU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.65.55.8
Spending per listing$1.2M$866K$1M
Households per official establishment3,4271,8821,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.0%+6.4%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+18.1%+8.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$432$476$581
Median household income$73,161$74,568$80,734
Groundwork market score8363

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
49 → 48−2.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
615
Annual payroll, 2023
$15M
One-person businesses, 2023
457Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
596 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
71The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
9
Amount
$5M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Lake 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 Lake County

Population, 2025 estimate
456,068+18.1% since 2020
Households
164,497
Median age
47.1
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
954 sq. mi.
People per square mile
433
Median household income
$73,161+34.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$94,160
Median home value
$318,400
Jobs located here
120,029
Daytime population
357,515Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Child 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 Lake County marked.

Top counties in Florida

Counties in Florida ranked for child care centers and preschools by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Collier County, FL92633.8$1.6M+10.6%#7 of 1,611
2Flagler County, FL9191.7$2.8M+21.0%#9 of 1,611
3Sumter County, FL90121.7$2.5M+21.1%#14 of 1,611
4Santa Rosa County, FL89273.7$1.4M+11.7%#19 of 1,611
5Walton County, FL87154.4$1.2M+22.9%#29 of 1,611
6Sarasota County, FL85904.2$1.2M+10.0%#40 of 1,611
7St. Johns County, FL84685.9$1.2M+25.0%#49 of 1,611
8Martin County, FL83284.1$1.3M+4.8%#58 of 1,611
9Charlotte County, FL83303.3$1.2M+15.5%#59 of 1,611
10Lake County, FL83593.6$1.2M+18.1%#60 of 1,611

Other business types in Lake County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many child care centers and preschools are in Lake County, FL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 59 child care centers and preschools in Lake County. 6 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 48 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 2.0% from 2019. Another 457 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Lake County, FL spend on child care and other personal services?

About $71M a year, or $432 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 59 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 164,497 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Lake County, FL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?

Lake County has 3.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.2M, 20% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Lake County would have about 71, against 59 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,427 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Lake County, FL growing?

Population estimates put Lake County at 456,068 people in 2025, up 18.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 164,497 households. Median household income in Lake County is $73,161, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.2%, 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. Lake County scores 83 for child care centers and preschools (high), #60 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.