Child care · County · Iowa
Child care centers and preschools in Des Moines County, IA
The child care centers and preschools in Des Moines County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,278 of 1,611 scored counties
#21 of 38 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 11
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $5.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $333 a household
- Spending per listing
- $520K
- 48% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.4
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,077
- −2.0% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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
Des Moines County scores 33 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,278 of 1,611 scored counties and #21 of 38 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $333 per household (43% below the U.S. average), households in Des Moines County spend about $5.7M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 11 child care centers and preschools, that is $520K per center, 48% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Des Moines County has 11 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 6.4 per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Des Moines County in 2023. That is one for every 2,863 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Des Moines County declined 2.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Des Moines County compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Des Moines County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.4 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $520K | $700K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,863 | 1,470 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.8% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.0% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $333 | $406 | $581 |
| Median household income | $62,928 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 91
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 150Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 110 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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,077−2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 17,178
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 416 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $62,928+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,523
- Median home value
- $136,500
- Jobs located here
- 19,578
- Daytime population
- 39,488Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Des Moines County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| 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 |
| 21Des Moines County, IA | 33 | 11 | 6.4 | $520K | −2.0% | #1,278 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Des Moines 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 preschools33
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Des Moines County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 11 child care centers and preschools in Des Moines County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Another 150 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Des Moines County, IA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $5.7M a year, or $333 per household. That is 43% below the U.S. average (an index of 57, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $520K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,178 households in Des Moines County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Des Moines County, IA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Des Moines County has 6.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $520K, 48% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Des Moines County would have about 6, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,863 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Des Moines County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Des Moines County at 38,077 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,178 households. Median household income in Des Moines County is $62,928, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Des Moines County scores 33 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,278 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Des Moines 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 Des Moines County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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.