Child care · County · Idaho
Child care centers and preschools in Ada County, ID
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Ada County, ID, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #263 of 1,611 scored counties
#3 of 18 scored counties in Idaho
- Listings
- 151
- 18 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 135
- +3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $155.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $767 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.5
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 546,141
- +9.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Ada 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 Ada 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
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Ada County comes to about $155.3M a year: $767 per household, 32% above the U.S. average. Spread across 151 child care centers and preschools, that is $1M per center, 3% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Ada County has 151 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 7.5, 29% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Ada County was 135 in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,500 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 534 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 26 SBA-backed loans worth $13.6M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Ada County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ada County grew 9.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Ada County has a Groundwork market score of 70 (upper middle): #263 of 1,611 scored counties and #3 of 18 scored counties in Idaho. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Ada County compares
The same measures for Idaho 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 | Ada County | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.5 | 6.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $940K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,500 | 1,415 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.9% | +16.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.6% | +9.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $767 | $627 | $581 |
| Median household income | $91,502 | $77,800 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 130 → 135+3.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,597
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $43.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 534Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15118 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 155The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 26
- Amount
- $13.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Ada 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 Ada County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 546,141+9.6% since 2020
- Households
- 202,543
- Median age
- 39.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,052 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 493
- Median household income
- $91,502+38.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $124,631
- Median home value
- $512,300
- Jobs located here
- 294,737
- Daytime population
- 566,160Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ada 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 Ada 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 Idaho
Every Idaho market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Idaho for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Idaho, with Ada County marked.
Top counties in Idaho
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bingham County, ID | 74 | 9 | 5.6 | $1.1M | +6.4% | #183 of 1,611 |
| 2Jefferson County, ID | 73 | 6 | 5.9 | $1.1M | +13.6% | #201 of 1,611 |
| 3Ada County, ID | 70 | 151 | 7.5 | $1M | +9.6% | #263 of 1,611 |
| 4Canyon County, ID | 68 | 51 | 5.9 | $962K | +18.1% | #321 of 1,611 |
| 5Kootenai County, ID | 63 | 52 | 7.3 | $867K | +11.0% | #466 of 1,611 |
| 6Bonneville County, ID | 62 | 30 | 6.8 | $935K | +8.9% | #488 of 1,611 |
| 7Bonner County, ID | 61 | 13 | 6.4 | $908K | +14.8% | #525 of 1,611 |
| 8Madison County, ID | 60 | 10 | 7.5 | $670K | +4.2% | #561 of 1,611 |
| 9Blaine County, ID | 58 | 8 | 7.7 | $970K | +4.8% | #607 of 1,611 |
| 10Bannock County, ID | 53 | 20 | 6.0 | $909K | +4.9% | #745 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Ada 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 preschools70
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Ada County, ID?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 151 child care centers and preschools in Ada County. 18 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 135 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 534 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ada County, ID spend on child care and other personal services?
About $155.3M a year, or $767 per household. That is 32% above the U.S. average (an index of 132, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 151 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 202,543 households in Ada County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ada County, ID compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Ada County has 7.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1M, 3% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Ada County would have about 155, against 151 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,500 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Ada County, ID growing?
Population estimates put Ada County at 546,141 people in 2025, up 9.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 202,543 households. Median household income in Ada County is $91,502, 13% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.0%, 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. Ada County scores 70 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #263 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ada 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 Ada County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ada 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 Ada 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.