Child care · Metro area · Georgia
Child care centers and preschools in the Gainesville, GA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in the Gainesville, GA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 82 out of 100: High
Ranked #16 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 31
- 7 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- +15.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $36.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $500 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.2
- 28% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 226,568
- +11.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Gainesville metro area
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 the Gainesville metro area. 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
The Gainesville metro area scores 82 (high) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #16 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for child care centers and preschools.
As of September 2026, map listings count 31 child care centers and preschools in the Gainesville metro area. 7 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 4.2 per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in the Gainesville metro area spend about $36.7M a year on child care and other personal services, or $500 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 31 child care centers and preschools, that is $1.2M per center, 18% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 23 businesses with payroll in the Gainesville metro area classed as child care services, up 15.0% from 2019. That is one for every 3,198 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $10M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in the Gainesville metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Gainesville metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +11.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Gainesville metro area 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 | Gainesville metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.2 | 5.6 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $888K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,198 | 1,664 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.0% | +5.6% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.4% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $500 | $496 | $581 |
| Median household income | $80,901 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 82 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23+15.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 413
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 307Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 317 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $10M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in the Gainesville metro area, 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 the Gainesville metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 226,568+11.4% since 2020
- Households
- 73,551
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 393 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 542
- Median household income
- $80,901+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,166
- Median home value
- $350,400
- Jobs located here
- 102,286
- Daytime population
- 216,900Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Gainesville metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Gainesville metro area. 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 metro areas in Georgia for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Georgia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Gainesville metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Gainesville, GA | 82 | 31 | 4.2 | $1.2M | +11.4% | #16 of 387 |
| 2Rome, GA | 69 | 11 | 3.0 | $1.3M | +2.8% | #58 of 387 |
| 3Dalton, GA | 66 | 12 | 2.3 | $1.6M | +3.5% | #76 of 387 |
| 4Hinesville, GA | 66 | 10 | 3.3 | $1M | +12.6% | #80 of 387 |
| 5Athens-Clarke County, GA | 62 | 39 | 4.5 | $978K | +3.9% | #99 of 387 |
| 6Warner Robins, GA | 60 | 35 | 4.7 | $967K | +8.2% | #119 of 387 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 60 | 120 | 5.2 | $871K | +5.3% | #121 of 387 |
| 7Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | 58 | 21 | 4.4 | $960K | +4.4% | #141 of 387 |
| 8Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 57 | 1,412 | 6.1 | $932K | +5.9% | #147 of 387 |
| 9Savannah, GA | 53 | 84 | 5.2 | $902K | +8.1% | #179 of 387 |
Other business types in the Gainesville metro area
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 preschools82
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in the Gainesville, GA metro area?
The Gainesville metro area has 31 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 15.0% from 2019. Official counts list 307 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Gainesville, GA metro area spend on child care and other personal services?
About $36.7M a year, or $500 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 73,551 households in the Gainesville metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Gainesville, GA metro area compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Gainesville metro area has 4.2 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.2M, 18% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, the Gainesville metro area would have about 37, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,198 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Gainesville, GA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Gainesville metro area at 226,568 people in 2025, up 11.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 73,551 households. The median household income in the Gainesville metro area is $80,901 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.5% 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. The Gainesville metro area scores 82 for child care centers and preschools (high), #16 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Gainesville metro area. 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 the Gainesville metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Gainesville metro area?
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 the Gainesville metro area. 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.