Child care · County · Florida
Child care centers and preschools in Manatee County, FL
The child care centers and preschools in Manatee County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #182 of 1,611 scored counties
#15 of 56 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 81
- 10 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 92
- +13.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $88M
- On child care and other personal services · $498 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.6
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 468,200
- +16.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Manatee 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 Manatee 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 Manatee County spend about $88M a year on child care and other personal services, or $498 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 81 child care centers and preschools, that is $1.1M per center, 8% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Manatee County has 81 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 12% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.6, 21% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 92 businesses with payroll in Manatee County classed as child care services, up 13.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,921 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 392 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $9.3M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Manatee County.
Population estimates show Manatee County grew 16.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Manatee County has a Groundwork market score of 74 (upper middle): #182 of 1,611 scored counties and #15 of 56 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Manatee 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 | Manatee County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.6 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $866K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,921 | 1,882 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.6% | +6.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +16.6% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $498 | $476 | $581 |
| Median household income | $78,457 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 81 → 92+13.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,259
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $40.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 392Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 88The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $9.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Manatee 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 Manatee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 468,200+16.6% since 2020
- Households
- 176,747
- Median age
- 48.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 743 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 579
- Median household income
- $78,457+33.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,837
- Median home value
- $391,400
- Jobs located here
- 145,644
- Daytime population
- 393,187Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Manatee 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 Manatee 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 Manatee 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 |
| 15Manatee County, FL | 74 | 81 | 4.6 | $1.1M | +16.6% | #182 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Manatee 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 preschools74
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Manatee County, FL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 81 child care centers and preschools in Manatee County. 10 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 92 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. Official counts list 392 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Manatee County, FL spend on child care and other personal services?
About $88M a year, or $498 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 81 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 176,747 households in Manatee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Manatee County, FL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Manatee County has 4.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.1M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Manatee County would have about 88, against 81 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,921 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Manatee County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Manatee County at 468,200 people in 2025, up 16.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 176,747 households. Median household income in Manatee County is $78,457, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.0%, 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. Manatee County scores 74 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #182 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Manatee 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 Manatee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Manatee 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 Manatee 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.