Child care · Small-town market · Hawaii
Child care centers and preschools in the Hilo-Kailua, HI area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in the Hilo-Kailua, HI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 82 out of 100: High
Ranked #11 of 454 scored small-town markets
#1 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Hawaii
- Listings
- 23
- 3 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 42
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $52.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $707 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.3M
- 2.3 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.1
- 47% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 210,043
- +4.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Hilo-Kailua 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 Hilo-Kailua 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
For child care centers and preschools, the Hilo-Kailua area has a Groundwork market score of 82 (high): #11 of 454 scored small-town markets and #1 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Hawaii. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for child care centers and preschools.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 23 child care centers and preschools in the Hilo-Kailua area. 3 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.1, 47% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in the Hilo-Kailua area spend about $52.3M a year on child care and other personal services, or $707 per household, 22% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.3M per center, 2.3 times the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in the Hilo-Kailua area in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 1,764 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Hilo-Kailua area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Hilo-Kailua area compares
The same measures for Hawaii 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 | Hilo-Kailua area | Hawaii | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.1 | 4.3 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.3M | $2M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,764 | 1,844 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | 0.0% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | −1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $707 | $862 | $581 |
| Median household income | $78,639 | $100,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 82 | 74 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 420.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 292
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 165Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 233 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 52The 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 the Hilo-Kailua 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 Hilo-Kailua area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 210,043+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 74,072
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,028 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 51
- Median household income
- $78,639+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $106,737
- Median home value
- $519,300
- Jobs located here
- 69,607
- Daytime population
- 224,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Hilo-Kailua area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Hilo-Kailua 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 Hawaii
Every Hawaii market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Hawaii for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Hawaii, with the Hilo-Kailua area marked.
Top small-town markets in Hawaii
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hilo-Kailua, HI | 82 | 23 | 3.1 | $2.3M | +4.6% | #11 of 454 |
| 2Kapaa, HI | 68 | 13 | 5.5 | $1.5M | +0.3% | #83 of 454 |
Other business types in the Hilo-Kailua 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 Hilo-Kailua, HI area?
There are 23 child care centers and preschools on map listings in the Hilo-Kailua area as of September 2026. 3 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 165 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Hilo-Kailua, HI area spend on child care and other personal services?
About $52.3M a year, or $707 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $2.3M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 74,072 households in the Hilo-Kailua area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Hilo-Kailua, HI area compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Hilo-Kailua area has 3.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 47% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $2.3M, 2.3 times the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, the Hilo-Kailua area would have about 52, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,764 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Hilo-Kailua, HI area growing?
Population estimates put the Hilo-Kailua area at 210,043 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 74,072 households. The median household income in the Hilo-Kailua area is $78,639 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.0% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Hilo-Kailua area scores 82 for child care centers and preschools (high), #11 of 454 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Hilo-Kailua 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 Hilo-Kailua area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Hilo-Kailua 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 Hilo-Kailua 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.