Child care · County · Georgia
Child care centers and preschools in Dougherty County, GA
The child care centers and preschools in Dougherty County, GA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 4 out of 100: Very low
Ranked #1,606 of 1,611 scored counties
#73 of 73 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 33
- 3 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 45
- +25.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $10.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $310 a household
- Spending per listing
- $322K
- 68% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.6
- 66% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 82,616
- −3.0% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Dougherty 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 Dougherty 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
Dougherty County scores 4 (very low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,606 of 1,611 scored counties and #73 of 73 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $310 per household (47% below the U.S. average), households in Dougherty County spend about $10.6M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $322K per center, 68% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Dougherty County has 33 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 9%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 9.6 for every 10,000 households, 66% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 45 businesses with payroll in Dougherty County classed as child care services, up 25.0% from 2019. That is one for every 762 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Dougherty County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Dougherty County compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Dougherty County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.6 | 5.6 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $322K | $888K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 762 | 1,664 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +25.0% | +5.6% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.0% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $310 | $496 | $581 |
| Median household income | $49,044 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 4 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 36 → 45+25.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 441
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 249Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 333 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The 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 Dougherty 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 Dougherty County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 82,616−3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 34,280
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 329 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 253
- Median household income
- $49,044+23.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $64,820
- Median home value
- $134,400
- Jobs located here
- 43,701
- Daytime population
- 96,519Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dougherty 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 Dougherty 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Georgia for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Georgia, with Dougherty County marked.
Top counties in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dawson County, GA | 87 | 5 | 4.3 | $1.3M | +30.7% | #28 of 1,611 |
| 2Jackson County, GA | 86 | 9 | 3.2 | $1.7M | +29.3% | #31 of 1,611 |
| 3Coweta County, GA | 86 | 21 | 3.7 | $1.5M | +9.2% | #33 of 1,611 |
| 4Hall County, GA | 84 | 31 | 4.2 | $1.2M | +11.4% | #48 of 1,611 |
| 5Effingham County, GA | 83 | 7 | 2.9 | $1.7M | +14.1% | #53 of 1,611 |
| 6Forsyth County, GA | 83 | 54 | 6.1 | $1.4M | +11.8% | #55 of 1,611 |
| 7Bartow County, GA | 82 | 14 | 3.4 | $1.4M | +10.5% | #65 of 1,611 |
| 8Cherokee County, GA | 80 | 52 | 5.1 | $1.3M | +11.6% | #85 of 1,611 |
| 9Paulding County, GA | 78 | 29 | 4.8 | $1.1M | +12.7% | #122 of 1,611 |
| 10Newton County, GA | 77 | 14 | 3.4 | $1.2M | +11.2% | #131 of 1,611 |
| 73Dougherty County, GA | 4 | 33 | 9.6 | $322K | −3.0% | #1,606 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Dougherty 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 preschools4
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Dougherty County, GA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 child care centers and preschools in Dougherty County. 3 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 25.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 249 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dougherty County, GA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $10.6M a year, or $310 per household. That is 47% below the U.S. average (an index of 53, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $322K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,280 households in Dougherty County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dougherty County, GA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Dougherty County has 9.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 66% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $322K, 68% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Dougherty County would have about 11, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 762 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Dougherty County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Dougherty County at 82,616 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 34,280 households. Median household income in Dougherty County is $49,044, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.9%, 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. Dougherty County scores 4 for child care centers and preschools (very low), #1,606 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dougherty 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 Dougherty County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dougherty 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 Dougherty 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.