Groundwork

Child care · County · Kansas

Child care centers and preschools in Johnson County, KS

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #491 of 1,611 scored counties
#2 of 28 scored counties in Kansas

Listings
176
36 chain locations (20%)
Official establishments
140
−6.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$153M
On child care and other personal services · $613 a household
Spending per listing
$869K
13% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.1
22% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
636,906
+4.2% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Johnson 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 Johnson 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

Households in Johnson County spend about $153M a year on child care and other personal services, or $613 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That is about $869K of household spending for each center on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $1M.

There are 176 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Johnson County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 7.1 per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Johnson County was 140 in 2023, down 6.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,782 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 752 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 17 SBA-backed loans worth $17.4M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Johnson County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Johnson County grew 4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Johnson County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #491 of 1,611 scored counties and #2 of 28 scored counties in Kansas.

How Johnson County compares

The same measures for Kansas 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 Johnson County, KS compared with Kansas and the U.S.
MeasureJohnson CountyKansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.16.15.8
Spending per listing$869K$679K$1M
Households per official establishment1,7822,0141,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−6.7%+3.4%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.2%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$613$418$581
Median household income$109,208$74,275$80,734
Groundwork market score6237

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
150 → 140−6.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,136
Annual payroll, 2023
$80.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
752Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
17636 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
153The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
17
Amount
$17.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
636,906+4.2% since 2020
Households
249,531
Median age
39.8
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
474 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,310
Median household income
$109,208+22.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$146,207
Median home value
$391,200
Jobs located here
379,207
Daytime population
678,980Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Child care and preschools across Kansas

Every Kansas market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Kansas for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Kansas, with Johnson County marked.

Top counties in Kansas

Counties in Kansas ranked for child care centers and preschools by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Butler County, KS7662.4$1.8M+3.1%#138 of 1,611
2Johnson County, KS621767.1$869K+4.2%#491 of 1,611
3Douglas County, KS60193.8$1.1M+1.8%#534 of 1,611
4Miami County, KS5985.8$804K+5.9%#584 of 1,611
5Pottawatomie County, KS5455.3$878K+6.9%#721 of 1,611
6Sedgwick County, KS521125.4$709K+2.6%#779 of 1,611
7Reno County, KS5093.5$893K−0.6%#820 of 1,611
8Riley County, KS50124.3$854K+0.8%#825 of 1,611
9Leavenworth County, KS47237.6$625K+3.2%#910 of 1,611
10Cowley County, KS4653.7$849K−0.4%#922 of 1,611

Other business types in Johnson 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 Johnson County, KS?

As of September 2026, map listings count 176 child care centers and preschools in Johnson County. 36 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 140 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 6.7% from 2019. Official counts list 752 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $153M a year, or $613 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 176 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $869K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 249,531 households in Johnson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Johnson County has 7.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $869K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Johnson County would have about 153, against 176 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,782 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Johnson County, KS growing?

Population estimates put Johnson County at 636,906 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 249,531 households. Median household income in Johnson County is $109,208, 35% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.6%, 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. Johnson County scores 62 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #491 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Johnson 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 Johnson 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.