Child care · County · Illinois
Child care centers and preschools in Lake County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Lake County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #813 of 1,611 scored counties
#20 of 43 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 170
- 25 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 242
- +6.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $166.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $645 a household
- Spending per listing
- $980K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.6
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 719,339
- +0.8% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Lake 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 Lake 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
Households in Lake County spend about $166.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $645 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That works out to $980K per center, 2% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 170 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Lake County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 6.6 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 242 businesses with payroll in Lake County classed as child care services, up 6.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,068 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 1,288 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $10.1M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Lake County.
Population estimates put the population change in Lake County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Lake County is 50 (upper middle), #813 of 1,611 scored counties and #20 of 43 scored counties in Illinois.
How Lake 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 | Lake County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.6 | 5.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $980K | $946K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,068 | 1,605 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.6% | +4.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.8% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $645 | $489 | $581 |
| Median household income | $110,416 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 227 → 242+6.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,472
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $80.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,288Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17025 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 166The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $10.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Lake 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 719,339+0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 258,455
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 444 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,610
- Median household income
- $110,416+23.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $155,726
- Median home value
- $345,700
- Jobs located here
- 328,525
- Daytime population
- 712,545Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 |
| 20Lake County, IL | 50 | 170 | 6.6 | $980K | +0.8% | #813 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Lake 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 preschools50
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Lake County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 170 child care centers and preschools in Lake County. 25 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 242 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 6.6% from 2019. Another 1,288 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lake County, IL spend on child care and other personal services?
About $166.6M a year, or $645 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 170 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $980K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 258,455 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, IL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Lake County has 6.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $980K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Lake County would have about 166, against 170 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,068 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 719,339 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 258,455 households. Median household income in Lake County is $110,416, 37% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.5%, 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. Lake County scores 50 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #813 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.