Groundwork

Child care · County · Iowa

Child care centers and preschools in Webster County, IA

The child care centers and preschools in Webster 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 #1,261 of 1,611 scored counties
#20 of 38 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
6
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
12
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$5.3M
On child care and other personal services · $342 a household
Spending per listing
$877K
12% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.9
33% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
36,838
−0.4% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Webster 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 Webster County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Webster County scores 33 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,261 of 1,611 scored counties and #20 of 38 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Webster County spend about $5.3M a year on child care and other personal services, or $342 per household, 41% below the U.S. average. Spread across 6 child care centers and preschools, that is $877K per center, 12% below the U.S. figure of $1M.

There are 6 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Webster County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 3.9 per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Webster County classed as child care services. That is one for every 1,281 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Webster County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Webster 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.

Child care and preschools in Webster County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureWebster CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.95.85.8
Spending per listing$877K$700K$1M
Households per official establishment1,2811,4701,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+5.8%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.4%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$342$406$581
Median household income$68,975$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score3324

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
8 → 12
Employees, 2023
129
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
105Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
60 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
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Webster 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 Webster County

Population, 2025 estimate
36,838−0.4% since 2020
Households
15,375
Median age
39.6
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
716 sq. mi.
People per square mile
52
Median household income
$68,975+45.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$83,997
Median home value
$153,800
Jobs located here
17,395
Daytime population
38,670Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Webster 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 Webster County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Child 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 Webster County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for child care centers and preschools by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, IA63115.3$907K+9.0%#463 of 1,611
2Dallas County, IA61266.1$958K+17.8%#523 of 1,611
3Cerro Gordo County, IA5452.6$1.4M−1.5%#702 of 1,611
4Polk County, IA541145.6$833K+4.8%#727 of 1,611
5Dickinson County, IA5266.8$636K+1.7%#783 of 1,611
6Scott County, IA51476.4$678K+0.4%#806 of 1,611
7Marshall County, IA4963.9$891K−0.5%#844 of 1,611
8Benton County, IA4854.9$901K+1.8%#871 of 1,611
9Marion County, IA4796.8$610K+2.3%#911 of 1,611
10Pottawattamie County, IA43154.0$960K−0.7%#998 of 1,611
20Webster County, IA3363.9$877K−0.4%#1,261 of 1,611

Other business types in Webster County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many child care centers and preschools are in Webster County, IA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 6 child care centers and preschools in Webster County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts list 105 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Webster County, IA spend on child care and other personal services?

About $5.3M a year, or $342 per household. That is 41% below the U.S. average (an index of 59, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $877K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,375 households in Webster County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Webster County, IA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?

Webster County has 3.9 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $877K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Webster County would have about 5, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,281 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.

How fast is Webster County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Webster County at 36,838 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,375 households. Median household income in Webster County is $68,975, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.3%, 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. Webster County scores 33 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,261 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Webster 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 Webster County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Webster 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 Webster 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.