Market rankings · Iowa
Child care centers and preschools in Iowa
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Iowa, ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 764
- 85 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 895
- +5.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $534.4M
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $700K
- 30% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #47 of 51
- Market score 24 · Low
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Iowa by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
There are 764 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Iowa as of September 2026. Of those, 85 are chain locations, or 11%, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.8, in line with the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $406 per household (30% below the U.S. average), households in Iowa spend about $534.4M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $700K per center, 30% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 895 businesses with payroll in Iowa classed as child care services, up 5.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,470 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $14.2M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Iowa.
Among the 50 states and DC, Iowa ranks #47 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 24 (low). Of the 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores highest (48). Of the 13 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Spirit Lake area scores highest (61).
Every market in Iowa for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Iowa, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 48 | 168 | 5.7 | $836K | +6.7% | #210 of 387 |
| 2Ames, IA | 41 | 23 | 4.6 | $890K | +2.2% | #258 of 387 |
| 3Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 35 | 89 | 5.5 | $728K | −0.9% | #294 of 387 |
| 4Iowa City, IA | 30 | 46 | 6.4 | $700K | +4.1% | #329 of 387 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 29 | 311 | 8.0 | $595K | +4.2% | #339 of 387 |
| 5Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 27 | 44 | 7.9 | $496K | +1.0% | #349 of 387 |
| 6Dubuque, IA | 25 | 23 | 5.6 | $733K | +0.1% | #356 of 387 |
| 7Cedar Rapids, IA | 21 | 77 | 6.8 | $627K | +1.0% | #371 of 387 |
| 8Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 16 | 54 | 7.8 | $483K | +0.5% | #378 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spirit Lake, IA | 61 | 6 | 6.8 | $636K | +1.7% | #139 of 454 |
| 2Pella, IA | 55 | 9 | 6.8 | $610K | +2.3% | #194 of 454 |
| 3Marshalltown, IA | 54 | 6 | 3.9 | $891K | −0.5% | #199 of 454 |
| 4Mason City, IA | 52 | 8 | 3.5 | $1M | −1.5% | #208 of 454 |
| 5Ottumwa, IA | 48 | 7 | 5.0 | $661K | −0.3% | #246 of 454 |
| 6Clinton, IA | 47 | 8 | 4.1 | $900K | −0.9% | #252 of 454 |
| 7Fort Dodge, IA | 40 | 6 | 3.9 | $877K | −0.4% | #314 of 454 |
| 8Le Mars, IA | 37 | 8 | 7.8 | $536K | 0.0% | #339 of 454 |
| 9Burlington, IA-IL | 35 | 11 | 5.5 | $593K | −2.5% | #353 of 454 |
| 10Oskaloosa, IA | 34 | 6 | 6.9 | $504K | −1.2% | #362 of 454 |
| 11Muscatine, IA | 33 | 12 | 6.9 | $518K | −3.0% | #363 of 454 |
| 12Carroll, IA | 23 | 7 | 8.0 | $478K | −2.0% | #413 of 454 |
| 13Fort Madison, IA | 10 | 14 | 9.8 | $340K | −3.6% | #447 of 454 |
| Storm Lake, IA | Not scored | 4 | 5.3 | $703K | −1.7% | |
| Spencer, IA | Not scored | 4 | 5.5 | $626K | −0.8% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 63 | 11 | 5.3 | $907K | +9.0% | #463 of 1,611 |
| 2Dallas County, IA | 61 | 26 | 6.1 | $958K | +17.8% | #523 of 1,611 |
| 3Cerro Gordo County, IA | 54 | 5 | 2.6 | $1.4M | −1.5% | #702 of 1,611 |
| 4Polk County, IA | 54 | 114 | 5.6 | $833K | +4.8% | #727 of 1,611 |
| 5Dickinson County, IA | 52 | 6 | 6.8 | $636K | +1.7% | #783 of 1,611 |
| 6Scott County, IA | 51 | 47 | 6.4 | $678K | +0.4% | #806 of 1,611 |
| 7Marshall County, IA | 49 | 6 | 3.9 | $891K | −0.5% | #844 of 1,611 |
| 8Benton County, IA | 48 | 5 | 4.9 | $901K | +1.8% | #871 of 1,611 |
| 9Marion County, IA | 47 | 9 | 6.8 | $610K | +2.3% | #911 of 1,611 |
| 10Pottawattamie County, IA | 43 | 15 | 4.0 | $960K | −0.7% | #998 of 1,611 |
| 11Story County, IA | 43 | 21 | 5.4 | $760K | +2.7% | #1,009 of 1,611 |
| 12Wapello County, IA | 42 | 7 | 5.0 | $661K | −0.3% | #1,044 of 1,611 |
| 13Johnson County, IA | 41 | 40 | 6.3 | $719K | +4.6% | #1,068 of 1,611 |
| 14Clinton County, IA | 40 | 8 | 4.1 | $900K | −0.9% | #1,091 of 1,611 |
| 15Jasper County, IA | 40 | 9 | 6.0 | $625K | +0.9% | #1,111 of 1,611 |
| 16Woodbury County, IA | 40 | 26 | 6.4 | $602K | +0.7% | #1,115 of 1,611 |
| 17Mills County, IA | 39 | 5 | 9.3 | $511K | +2.6% | #1,134 of 1,611 |
| 18Dubuque County, IA | 36 | 23 | 5.6 | $733K | +0.1% | #1,177 of 1,611 |
| 19Madison County, IA | 35 | 5 | 7.5 | $601K | +3.8% | #1,221 of 1,611 |
| 20Webster County, IA | 33 | 6 | 3.9 | $877K | −0.4% | #1,261 of 1,611 |
| 21Des Moines County, IA | 33 | 11 | 6.4 | $520K | −2.0% | #1,278 of 1,611 |
| 22Delaware County, IA | 33 | 6 | 8.1 | $472K | +1.3% | #1,284 of 1,611 |
| 23Linn County, IA | 31 | 64 | 6.7 | $637K | +0.7% | #1,309 of 1,611 |
| 24Washington County, IA | 30 | 6 | 6.7 | $573K | +0.6% | #1,330 of 1,611 |
| 25Mahaska County, IA | 30 | 6 | 6.9 | $504K | −1.2% | #1,335 of 1,611 |
Show all 99 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Jones County, IA | 30 | 8 | 9.8 | $374K | +2.9% | #1,346 of 1,611 |
| 27Plymouth County, IA | 29 | 8 | 7.8 | $536K | 0.0% | #1,356 of 1,611 |
| 28Muscatine County, IA | 29 | 12 | 6.9 | $518K | −3.0% | #1,359 of 1,611 |
| 29Bremer County, IA | 27 | 7 | 7.2 | $574K | +1.1% | #1,390 of 1,611 |
| 30Black Hawk County, IA | 26 | 42 | 7.7 | $474K | +0.4% | #1,412 of 1,611 |
| 31Sioux County, IA | 25 | 15 | 11.8 | $375K | +2.5% | #1,422 of 1,611 |
| 32Grundy County, IA | 22 | 5 | 9.8 | $437K | +0.2% | #1,459 of 1,611 |
| 33Hardin County, IA | 20 | 5 | 7.1 | $458K | −2.2% | #1,486 of 1,611 |
| 34Allamakee County, IA | 19 | 5 | 8.4 | $416K | +1.2% | #1,502 of 1,611 |
| 35Carroll County, IA | 16 | 7 | 8.0 | $478K | −2.0% | #1,538 of 1,611 |
| 36O’Brien County, IA | 13 | 6 | 10.3 | $338K | +0.5% | #1,569 of 1,611 |
| 37Lee County, IA | 7 | 14 | 9.8 | $340K | −3.6% | #1,595 of 1,611 |
| 38Union County, IA | 3 | 8 | 15.6 | $184K | −2.5% | #1,608 of 1,611 |
| Boone County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 1.8 | $2.3M | +0.4% | |
| Buena Vista County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 5.3 | $703K | −1.7% | |
| Buchanan County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.4 | $1.5M | +1.3% | |
| Henry County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.6 | $1.4M | −5.4% | |
| Winneshiek County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 3.7 | $1.1M | −1.6% | |
| Jackson County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.4 | $1.5M | −0.8% | |
| Fayette County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.4 | $1.4M | −2.1% | |
| Poweshiek County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.4% | |
| Cedar County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 5.2 | $740K | −0.7% | |
| Clayton County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.7 | $1.3M | −1.1% | |
| Tama County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 6.0 | $569K | −1.5% | |
| Iowa County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.9 | $1.2M | −1.0% | |
| Clay County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 5.5 | $626K | −0.8% | |
| Crawford County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 1.6 | $2.2M | −1.5% | |
| Jefferson County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.3 | $783K | −2.5% | |
| Floyd County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 6.2 | $574K | −4.4% | |
| Page County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 6.4 | $498K | −2.3% | |
| Hamilton County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 3.1 | $1.2M | −0.5% | |
| Harrison County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.9 | $795K | +0.4% | |
| Kossuth County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 1.5 | $2.2M | −3.2% | |
| Butler County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 6.8 | $541K | −2.0% | |
| Cass County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.1 | $674K | −1.2% | |
| Wright County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.6 | $656K | −0.9% | |
| Appanoose County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 7.7 | $372K | −1.7% | |
| Lyon County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 6.7 | $588K | +3.6% | |
| Chickasaw County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.0 | $916K | −2.8% | |
| Shelby County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 6.1 | $677K | −0.2% | |
| Cherokee County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 7.9 | $489K | −2.4% | |
| Guthrie County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 6.5 | $635K | +1.6% | |
| Louisa County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.1 | $528K | −3.7% | |
| Hancock County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.1 | $1.5M | −2.2% | |
| Winnebago County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.2 | $1.6M | −3.8% | |
| Mitchell County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 6.5 | $590K | +0.6% | |
| Montgomery County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.4 | $756K | −3.2% | |
| Franklin County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 9.5 | $318K | −1.2% | |
| Keokuk County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.9 | $677K | −2.0% | |
| Calhoun County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 5.0 | $703K | −3.4% | |
| Sac County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.6 | $751K | −2.7% | |
| Clarke County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.5 | $1.4M | −1.6% | |
| Humboldt County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.7 | $808K | −2.0% | |
| Howard County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.7 | $1.2M | −0.8% | |
| Emmet County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.4 | $406K | −2.5% | |
| Davis County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $1.2M | +1.3% | |
| Palo Alto County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 5.3 | $692K | −1.0% | |
| Lucas County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.7 | $1.1M | +2.6% | |
| Greene County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.6 | $444K | −1.0% | |
| Monona County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.6 | $1.3M | −2.4% | |
| Decatur County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.9% | |
| Monroe County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.5 | $529K | −2.5% | |
| Adair County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 12.4 | $298K | −1.3% | |
| Worth County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 9.4 | $397K | −1.3% | |
| Van Buren County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.2% | |
| Pocahontas County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.7 | $465K | −3.5% | |
| Ida County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.3 | $1M | −3.4% | |
| Wayne County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.9 | $872K | +3.6% | |
| Fremont County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.8% | |
| Osceola County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.6% | |
| Taylor County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 8.0 | $394K | −0.5% | |
| Audubon County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 7.7 | $434K | −3.0% | |
| Ringgold County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 5.3 | $720K | 0.0% | |
| Adams County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 13.0 | $299K | −2.5% |
Markets with fewer than 5 child care centers and preschools on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Iowa?
As of September 2026, map listings count 764 child care centers and preschools in Iowa. 85 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 895 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 5.8% from 2019. Another 8,692 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Iowa spend on child care and other personal services?
About $534.4M a year, or $406 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 764 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $700K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,315,707 households in Iowa and national spending patterns by income.
How does Iowa compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Iowa has 5.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $700K, 30% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Iowa would have about 533, against 764 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,470 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Iowa has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores highest, at 48 (lower middle). Among 13 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Spirit Lake area scores highest, at 61 (upper middle). Among 38 scored counties in Iowa, Warren County scores highest, at 63 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Iowa scores 24 for child care centers and preschools (low), #47 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iowa. 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.
Child care and preschools in other states
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Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in Iowa
Screening a site or an acquisition in Iowa?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.