Child care · County · Indiana
Child care centers and preschools in St. Joseph County, IN
How St. Joseph County, IN 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 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,245 of 1,611 scored counties
#35 of 59 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 65
- 11 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 62
- −6.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $40.4M
- On child care and other personal services · $377 a household
- Spending per listing
- $622K
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 272,861
- +0.1% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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
St. Joseph County scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,245 of 1,611 scored counties and #35 of 59 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 65 child care centers and preschools in St. Joseph County. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 6.1 per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in St. Joseph County spend about $40.4M a year on child care and other personal services, or $377 per household, 35% below the U.S. average. Spread across 65 child care centers and preschools, that is $622K per center, 38% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in St. Joseph County was 62 in 2023, down 6.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,730 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates show St. Joseph County grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How St. Joseph 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 | St. Joseph County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $622K | $668K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,730 | 1,893 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.1% | +2.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $377 | $396 | $581 |
| Median household income | $66,868 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 66 → 62−6.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 632
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 464Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6511 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 272,861+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 107,252
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 458 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 596
- Median household income
- $66,868+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,212
- Median home value
- $192,800
- Jobs located here
- 124,747
- Daytime population
- 277,571Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 |
| 35St. Joseph County, IN | 34 | 65 | 6.1 | $622K | +0.1% | #1,245 of 1,611 |
Other business types in St. Joseph 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 preschools34
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in St. Joseph County, IN?
There are 65 child care centers and preschools on map listings in St. Joseph County as of September 2026. 11 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 62 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 6.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 464 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in St. Joseph County, IN spend on child care and other personal services?
About $40.4M a year, or $377 per household. That is 35% below the U.S. average (an index of 65, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 65 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $622K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 107,252 households in St. Joseph County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Joseph County, IN compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
St. Joseph County has 6.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $622K, 38% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, St. Joseph County would have about 40, against 65 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,730 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Joseph County, IN growing?
Population estimates put St. Joseph County at 272,861 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 107,252 households. The median household income in St. Joseph County is $66,868 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.7% 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. St. Joseph County scores 34 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,245 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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.