Child care · County · Iowa
Child care centers and preschools in Story County, IA
How Story 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 #1,009 of 1,611 scored counties
#11 of 38 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 21
- 2 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- −3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $16M
- On child care and other personal services · $410 a household
- Spending per listing
- $760K
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 101,291
- +2.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Story 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 Story 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
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Story County comes to about $16M a year: $410 per household, 29% below the U.S. average. That works out to $760K per center, 24% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 21 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Story County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.4, 7% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Story County in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,441 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 180 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.3M has gone to businesses classed as child care services in Story County.
Population estimates put the population change in Story County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Story County is 43 (lower middle), #1,009 of 1,611 scored counties and #11 of 38 scored counties in Iowa.
How Story 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 | Story County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $760K | $700K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,441 | 1,470 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.6% | +5.8% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $410 | $406 | $581 |
| Median household income | $69,685 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28 → 27−3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 427
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 180Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 212 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 16The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Story 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 Story County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 101,291+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 38,904
- Median age
- 33.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 175
- Median household income
- $69,685+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,918
- Median home value
- $258,700
- Jobs located here
- 47,997
- Daytime population
- 107,341Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Story 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 Story 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 Story 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 |
| 11Story County, IA | 43 | 21 | 5.4 | $760K | +2.7% | #1,009 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Story 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 Story County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 child care centers and preschools in Story County. 2 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019. Official counts list 180 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Story County, IA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $16M a year, or $410 per household. That is 29% below the U.S. average (an index of 71, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $760K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 38,904 households in Story County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Story County, IA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Story County has 5.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $760K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Story County would have about 16, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,441 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Story County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Story County at 101,291 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 38,904 households. Median household income in Story County is $69,685, 14% 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. Story County scores 43 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,009 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Story 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 Story County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Story 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 Story 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.