Child care · County · Illinois
Child care centers and preschools in Marion County, IL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Marion County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 17 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,525 of 1,611 scored counties
#43 of 43 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 10
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $5M
- On child care and other personal services · $320 a household
- Spending per listing
- $496K
- 50% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.4
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,382
- −3.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Marion 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 Marion 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
The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Marion County is 17 (low), #1,525 of 1,611 scored counties and #43 of 43 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Marion County spend about $5M a year on child care and other personal services, or $320 per household, 45% below the U.S. average. That is about $496K of household spending for each center on map listings, 50% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Marion County has 10 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.4, 10% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in Marion County classed as child care services. That is one for every 1,551 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $325K has gone to businesses classed as child care services in Marion County. Population estimates show Marion County declined 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Marion 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 | Marion County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.4 | 5.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $496K | $946K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,551 | 1,605 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.4% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $320 | $489 | $581 |
| Median household income | $61,240 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 17 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 107
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 66Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 100 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $325K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Marion 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 Marion County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,382−3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 15,512
- Median age
- 41.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 65
- Median household income
- $61,240+28.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,168
- Median home value
- $103,000
- Jobs located here
- 13,082
- Daytime population
- 33,907Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion 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 |
| 43Marion County, IL | 17 | 10 | 6.4 | $496K | −3.4% | #1,525 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Marion 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 preschools17
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Marion County, IL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 10 child care centers and preschools in Marion County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 66 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Marion County, IL spend on child care and other personal services?
About $5M a year, or $320 per household. That is 45% below the U.S. average (an index of 55, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $496K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,512 households in Marion County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Marion County, IL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Marion County has 6.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $496K, 50% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Marion County would have about 5, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,551 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Marion County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Marion County at 36,382 people in 2025, down 3.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,512 households. Median household income in Marion County is $61,240, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.9%, 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. Marion County scores 17 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,525 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Marion 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 Marion County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Marion 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 Marion 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.