Child care · County · Indiana
Child care centers and preschools in Porter County, IN
The child care centers and preschools in Porter County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #557 of 1,611 scored counties
#9 of 59 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 39
- 2 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $31.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $465 a household
- Spending per listing
- $818K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.7
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 176,049
- +1.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Porter 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 Porter 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 39 child care centers and preschools in Porter County. Chain locations make up 5% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.7, 2% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Porter County spend about $31.9M a year on child care and other personal services, or $465 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That is about $818K of household spending for each center on map listings, 18% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Porter County was 23 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 2,984 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 115 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.6M has gone to businesses classed as child care services in Porter County.
Population estimates put the population change in Porter County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Porter County is 60 (upper middle), #557 of 1,611 scored counties and #9 of 59 scored counties in Indiana.
How Porter 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 | Porter County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.7 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $818K | $668K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,984 | 1,893 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +2.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $465 | $396 | $581 |
| Median household income | $87,972 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 230.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 341
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 115Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 392 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 32The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Porter 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 Porter County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 176,049+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 68,639
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 418 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $87,972+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $110,512
- Median home value
- $281,500
- Jobs located here
- 65,198
- Daytime population
- 160,058Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Porter 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 Porter 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 Porter 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 |
Other business types in Porter 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 preschools60
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Porter County, IN?
There are 39 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Porter County as of September 2026. 2 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 115 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Porter County, IN spend on child care and other personal services?
About $31.9M a year, or $465 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $818K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 68,639 households in Porter County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Porter County, IN compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Porter County has 5.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $818K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Porter County would have about 32, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,984 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Porter County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Porter County at 176,049 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 68,639 households. The median household income in Porter County is $87,972 a year, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Porter County scores 60 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #557 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Porter 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 Porter County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Porter 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 Porter 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.