Child care · County · Iowa
Child care centers and preschools in Pottawattamie County, IA
How Pottawattamie County, IA 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 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #998 of 1,611 scored counties
#10 of 38 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 15
- 1 chain location (7%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- −11.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $14.4M
- On child care and other personal services · $383 a household
- Spending per listing
- $960K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.0
- 31% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 92,996
- −0.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie 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 15 child care centers and preschools in Pottawattamie County. One of them (7%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.0, 31% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Pottawattamie County comes to about $14.4M a year: $383 per household, 34% below the U.S. average. That works out to $960K per center, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Pottawattamie County in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,568 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 209 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Pottawattamie County declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Pottawattamie County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #998 of 1,611 scored counties and #10 of 38 scored counties in Iowa.
How Pottawattamie 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 | Pottawattamie County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.0 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $960K | $700K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,568 | 1,470 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.1% | +5.8% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $383 | $406 | $581 |
| Median household income | $73,602 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 24−11.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 134
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 209Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 151 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The 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 Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 92,996−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 37,642
- Median age
- 40.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 951 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 98
- Median household income
- $73,602+22.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,780
- Median home value
- $195,700
- Jobs located here
- 40,169
- Daytime population
- 86,715Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie 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 |
Other business types in Pottawattamie 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 preschools43
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Pottawattamie County, IA?
There are 15 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Pottawattamie County as of September 2026. One of them (7%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. Official counts list 209 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Pottawattamie County, IA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $14.4M a year, or $383 per household. That is 34% below the U.S. average (an index of 66, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $960K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 37,642 households in Pottawattamie County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pottawattamie County, IA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Pottawattamie County has 4.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $960K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Pottawattamie County would have about 14, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,568 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Pottawattamie County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Pottawattamie County at 92,996 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 37,642 households. The median household income in Pottawattamie County is $73,602 a year, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.5% 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. Pottawattamie County scores 43 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #998 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie 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.