Child care · Small-town market · Iowa
Child care centers and preschools in the Ottumwa, IA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in the Ottumwa, IA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #246 of 454 scored small-town markets
#5 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 7
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $4.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $330 a household
- Spending per listing
- $661K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 35,210
- −0.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Ottumwa area
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 the Ottumwa area. 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 7 child care centers and preschools in the Ottumwa area. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.0, 14% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in the Ottumwa area comes to about $4.6M a year: $330 per household, 43% below the U.S. average. Spread across 7 child care centers and preschools, that is $661K per center, 34% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in the Ottumwa area was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 3,499 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 61 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $175K has gone to businesses classed as child care services in the Ottumwa area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Ottumwa area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in the Ottumwa area is 48 (lower middle), #246 of 454 scored small-town markets and #5 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Ottumwa area 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 | Ottumwa area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $661K | $700K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,499 | 1,470 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.8% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.3% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $330 | $406 | $581 |
| Median household income | $64,766 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4
- Employees, 2023
- 28
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $792K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 61Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 70 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $175K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in the Ottumwa area, 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 the Ottumwa area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 35,210−0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 13,997
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 432 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 82
- Median household income
- $64,766+40.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,469
- Median home value
- $125,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,175
- Daytime population
- 34,077Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ottumwa area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Ottumwa area. 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 small-town markets in Iowa for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Ottumwa area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| 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 |
Other business types in the Ottumwa area
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 preschools48
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in the Ottumwa, IA area?
There are 7 child care centers and preschools on map listings in the Ottumwa area as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 61 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Ottumwa, IA area spend on child care and other personal services?
About $4.6M a year, or $330 per household. That is 43% below the U.S. average (an index of 57, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $661K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,997 households in the Ottumwa area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ottumwa, IA area compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Ottumwa area has 5.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $661K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, the Ottumwa area would have about 5, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,499 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is the Ottumwa, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Ottumwa area at 35,210 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,997 households. The median household income in the Ottumwa area is $64,766 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 40.1% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Ottumwa area scores 48 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #246 of 454 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Ottumwa area. 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 the Ottumwa area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ottumwa area?
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 the Ottumwa area. 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.