Groundwork

Child care · County · Iowa

Child care centers and preschools in Woodbury County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Woodbury County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,115 of 1,611 scored counties
#16 of 38 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
26
3 chain locations (12%)
Official establishments
19
−9.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$15.6M
On child care and other personal services · $384 a household
Spending per listing
$602K
40% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.4
10% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
106,649
+0.7% since 2020

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

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

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 26 child care centers and preschools in Woodbury County. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 12%, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.4, 10% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.

Households in Woodbury County spend about $15.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $384 per household, 34% below the U.S. average. Spread across 26 child care centers and preschools, that is $602K per center, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1M.

Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Woodbury County in 2023, down 9.5% from 2019. That is one for every 2,142 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 280 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Woodbury County grew 0.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Woodbury County has a Groundwork market score of 40 (lower middle): #1,115 of 1,611 scored counties and #16 of 38 scored counties in Iowa.

How Woodbury 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 Woodbury County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureWoodbury CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.45.85.8
Spending per listing$602K$700K$1M
Households per official establishment2,1421,4701,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−9.5%+5.8%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.7%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$384$406$581
Median household income$73,658$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score4024

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
21 → 19−9.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
314
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
280Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
263 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
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
106,649+0.7% since 2020
Households
40,699
Median age
37.2
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
873 sq. mi.
People per square mile
122
Median household income
$73,658+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,682
Median home value
$183,200
Jobs located here
50,646
Daytime population
104,991Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Woodbury 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 Woodbury 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 Woodbury 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
16Woodbury County, IA40266.4$602K+0.7%#1,115 of 1,611

Other business types in Woodbury 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 Woodbury County, IA?

Woodbury County has 26 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 9.5% from 2019. Official counts list 280 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $15.6M a year, or $384 per household. That is 34% below the U.S. average (an index of 66, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $602K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 40,699 households in Woodbury County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Woodbury 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 $602K, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Woodbury County would have about 16, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,142 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Woodbury County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Woodbury County at 106,649 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,699 households. The median household income in Woodbury County is $73,658 a year, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% 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. Woodbury County scores 40 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,115 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Woodbury 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 Woodbury 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.