Child care · County · Illinois
Child care centers and preschools in Cook County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Cook County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #971 of 1,611 scored counties
#26 of 43 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 1,127
- 102 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 1,633
- +10.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On child care and other personal services · $506 a household
- Spending per listing
- $942K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 5,194,625
- −1.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Cook 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 Cook 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 Cook County comes to about $1.1B a year: $506 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $942K of household spending for each center on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 1,127 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Cook County as of September 2026. 102 of them (9%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.4, 7% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 1,633 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Cook County in 2023, up 10.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,286 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 13,113 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 119 SBA-backed loans worth $75.5M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Cook County.
Population estimates show Cook County declined 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Cook County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #971 of 1,611 scored counties and #26 of 43 scored counties in Illinois.
How Cook County compares
The same measures for Illinois 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 | Cook County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $942K | $946K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,286 | 1,605 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.3% | +4.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $506 | $489 | $581 |
| Median household income | $83,498 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,481 → 1,633+10.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 22,134
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $808.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13,113Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,127102 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,060The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 119
- Amount
- $75.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Cook 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 Cook County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 5,194,625−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,100,230
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.4
- Land area
- 945 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,484
- Median household income
- $83,498+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,729
- Median home value
- $324,500
- Jobs located here
- 2,683,238
- Daytime population
- 5,468,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cook 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 Cook 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 Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Cook County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Grundy County, IL | 77 | 8 | 3.9 | $1.3M | +2.9% | #130 of 1,611 |
| 2Boone County, IL | 72 | 7 | 3.6 | $1.3M | +0.4% | #212 of 1,611 |
| 3Kane County, IL | 68 | 100 | 5.4 | $1.1M | +1.8% | #316 of 1,611 |
| 4McHenry County, IL | 66 | 59 | 5.0 | $1.1M | +2.5% | #363 of 1,611 |
| 5Will County, IL | 64 | 149 | 6.1 | $970K | +2.2% | #432 of 1,611 |
| 6McLean County, IL | 61 | 31 | 4.4 | $1M | +0.1% | #513 of 1,611 |
| 7Kendall County, IL | 60 | 37 | 8.2 | $710K | +9.9% | #560 of 1,611 |
| 8Sangamon County, IL | 59 | 30 | 3.5 | $1.2M | −1.0% | #566 of 1,611 |
| 9Madison County, IL | 59 | 43 | 3.9 | $1.1M | −1.0% | #568 of 1,611 |
| 10LaSalle County, IL | 59 | 18 | 4.0 | $986K | −1.5% | #574 of 1,611 |
| 26Cook County, IL | 44 | 1,127 | 5.4 | $942K | −1.3% | #971 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Cook 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 preschools44
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Cook County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,127 child care centers and preschools in Cook County. 102 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 1,633 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 10.3% from 2019. Official counts list 13,113 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cook County, IL spend on child care and other personal services?
About $1.1B a year, or $506 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,127 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $942K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,100,230 households in Cook County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cook County, IL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Cook County has 5.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $942K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Cook County would have about 1,060, against 1,127 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,286 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Cook County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Cook County at 5,194,625 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,100,230 households. Median household income in Cook County is $83,498, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. Cook County scores 44 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #971 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cook 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 Cook County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cook 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 Cook 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.