Child care · County · Florida
Child care centers and preschools in Okaloosa County, FL
The child care centers and preschools in Okaloosa County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #324 of 1,611 scored counties
#20 of 56 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 48
- 4 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 34
- −17.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $43M
- On child care and other personal services · $503 a household
- Spending per listing
- $895K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.6
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 221,810
- +4.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Okaloosa 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 Okaloosa 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 48 child care centers and preschools in Okaloosa County. Chain locations make up 8% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 5.6 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Okaloosa County spend about $43M a year on child care and other personal services, or $503 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $895K of household spending for each center on map listings, 11% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Okaloosa County was 34 in 2023, down 17.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,512 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 180 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Okaloosa County grew 4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Okaloosa County has a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle): #324 of 1,611 scored counties and #20 of 56 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Okaloosa 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 | Okaloosa County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.6 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $895K | $866K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,512 | 1,882 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −17.1% | +6.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $503 | $476 | $581 |
| Median household income | $81,998 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 41 → 34−17.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 419
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 180Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 484 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 43The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Okaloosa 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 Okaloosa County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 221,810+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 85,411
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 930 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 233
- Median household income
- $81,998+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,934
- Median home value
- $351,200
- Jobs located here
- 91,084
- Daytime population
- 224,037Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Okaloosa 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 Okaloosa 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 Okaloosa 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 |
| 20Okaloosa County, FL | 68 | 48 | 5.6 | $895K | +4.6% | #324 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Okaloosa 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 preschools68
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Okaloosa County, FL?
There are 48 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Okaloosa County as of September 2026. 4 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 17.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 180 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Okaloosa County, FL spend on child care and other personal services?
About $43M a year, or $503 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $895K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 85,411 households in Okaloosa County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Okaloosa County, FL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Okaloosa County has 5.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $895K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Okaloosa County would have about 43, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,512 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 17.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Okaloosa County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Okaloosa County at 221,810 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 85,411 households. The median household income in Okaloosa County is $81,998 a year, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.3% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Okaloosa County scores 68 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #324 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Okaloosa 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 Okaloosa County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Okaloosa 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 Okaloosa 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.