Child care · County · Indiana
Child care centers and preschools in Elkhart County, IN
The child care centers and preschools in Elkhart County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #850 of 1,611 scored counties
#16 of 59 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 33
- 7 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- +20.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $26.4M
- On child care and other personal services · $365 a household
- Spending per listing
- $800K
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.6
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 208,774
- +0.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 child care centers and preschools in Elkhart County. 7 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.6, 21% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $365 per household (37% below the U.S. average), households in Elkhart County spend about $26.4M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $800K of household spending for each center on map listings, 20% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 30 businesses with payroll in Elkhart County classed as child care services, up 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,410 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 304 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Elkhart County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Elkhart County is 49 (lower middle), #850 of 1,611 scored counties and #16 of 59 scored counties in Indiana.
How Elkhart County compares
The same measures for Indiana 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 | Elkhart County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.6 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $800K | $668K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,410 | 1,893 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.0% | +2.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.9% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $365 | $396 | $581 |
| Median household income | $68,561 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 30+20.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 348
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 304Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 337 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 26The 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 Elkhart 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 Elkhart County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 208,774+0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 72,309
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 463 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 447
- Median household income
- $68,561+20.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,471
- Median home value
- $210,400
- Jobs located here
- 133,676
- Daytime population
- 244,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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 Indiana
Every Indiana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Indiana for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Indiana, with Elkhart County marked.
Top counties in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Boone County, IN | 73 | 17 | 5.9 | $1.1M | +13.5% | #202 of 1,611 |
| 2Clark County, IN | 69 | 18 | 3.5 | $1.1M | +7.5% | #292 of 1,611 |
| 3Hancock County, IN | 69 | 20 | 6.0 | $832K | +13.5% | #302 of 1,611 |
| 4Morgan County, IN | 65 | 11 | 3.9 | $1.1M | +4.4% | #396 of 1,611 |
| 5Hamilton County, IN | 64 | 104 | 7.6 | $894K | +10.9% | #436 of 1,611 |
| 6Johnson County, IN | 64 | 39 | 6.2 | $766K | +7.4% | #441 of 1,611 |
| 7Warrick County, IN | 63 | 11 | 4.4 | $1.1M | +4.4% | #452 of 1,611 |
| 8Hendricks County, IN | 63 | 48 | 7.2 | $736K | +10.2% | #469 of 1,611 |
| 9Porter County, IN | 60 | 39 | 5.7 | $818K | +1.6% | #557 of 1,611 |
| 10Dubois County, IN | 59 | 8 | 4.6 | $903K | +0.9% | #577 of 1,611 |
| 16Elkhart County, IN | 49 | 33 | 4.6 | $800K | +0.9% | #850 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Elkhart 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 preschools49
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Elkhart County, IN?
There are 33 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Elkhart County as of September 2026. 7 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. Another 304 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Elkhart County, IN spend on child care and other personal services?
About $26.4M a year, or $365 per household. That is 37% below the U.S. average (an index of 63, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $800K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 72,309 households in Elkhart County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Elkhart County, IN compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Elkhart 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 $800K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Elkhart County would have about 26, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,410 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Elkhart County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Elkhart County at 208,774 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,309 households. The median household income in Elkhart County is $68,561 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.2% 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. Elkhart County scores 49 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #850 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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.