Child care · County · Illinois
Child care centers and preschools in Stephenson County, IL
How Stephenson County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,448 of 1,611 scored counties
#41 of 43 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 9
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $6.4M
- On child care and other personal services · $329 a household
- Spending per listing
- $709K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.6
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 43,220
- −3.0% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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
Stephenson County scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,448 of 1,611 scored counties and #41 of 43 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 9 child care centers and preschools in Stephenson County. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.6 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Stephenson County spend about $6.4M a year on child care and other personal services, or $329 per household, 43% below the U.S. average. That is about $709K of household spending for each center on map listings, 29% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Stephenson County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Stephenson County declined 3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Stephenson 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 | Stephenson County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.6 | 5.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $709K | $946K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 1,605 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.0% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $329 | $489 | $581 |
| Median household income | $64,043 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 152Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 90 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 43,220−3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 19,358
- Median age
- 45.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 564 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 78
- Median household income
- $64,043+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,920
- Median home value
- $134,900
- Jobs located here
- 17,326
- Daytime population
- 40,359Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 |
| 41Stephenson County, IL | 22 | 9 | 4.6 | $709K | −3.0% | #1,448 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Stephenson 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 preschools22
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Stephenson County, IL?
Stephenson County has 9 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. No official count is published for child care services in Stephenson County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 152 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Stephenson County, IL spend on child care and other personal services?
About $6.4M a year, or $329 per household. That is 43% below the U.S. average (an index of 57, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $709K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,358 households in Stephenson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stephenson County, IL compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Stephenson County has 4.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $709K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Stephenson County would have about 6, against 9 on map listings.
How fast is Stephenson County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Stephenson County at 43,220 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,358 households. The median household income in Stephenson County is $64,043 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.2% 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. 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. Stephenson County scores 22 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,448 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stephenson 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 Stephenson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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.