Child care · County · Kentucky
Child care centers and preschools in McCracken County, KY
The child care centers and preschools in McCracken County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,184 of 1,611 scored counties
#28 of 37 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 17
- 1 chain location (6%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $11.5M
- On child care and other personal services · $416 a household
- Spending per listing
- $676K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.2
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 67,553
- −0.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in McCracken 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 McCracken 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 17 child care centers and preschools in McCracken County. One of them (6%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.2, 7% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in McCracken County spend about $11.5M a year on child care and other personal services, or $416 per household, 28% below the U.S. average. Spread across 17 child care centers and preschools, that is $676K per center, 33% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in McCracken County was 17 in 2023. That is one for every 1,624 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 48 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $375K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in McCracken County.
Population estimates put the population change in McCracken County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in McCracken County is 36 (lower middle), #1,184 of 1,611 scored counties and #28 of 37 scored counties in Kentucky.
How McCracken County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | McCracken County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.2 | 4.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $676K | $849K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,624 | 1,962 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.6% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.5% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $416 | $405 | $581 |
| Median household income | $64,373 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 17
- Employees, 2023
- 304
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 48Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 171 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $375K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in McCracken 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 McCracken County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 67,553−0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 27,601
- Median age
- 42.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 249 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 272
- Median household income
- $64,373+39.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,079
- Median home value
- $188,100
- Jobs located here
- 39,473
- Daytime population
- 78,455Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McCracken 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 McCracken 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with McCracken County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oldham County, KY | 82 | 10 | 4.3 | $1.7M | +4.9% | #61 of 1,611 |
| 2Shelby County, KY | 78 | 8 | 4.3 | $1.1M | +6.2% | #123 of 1,611 |
| 3Scott County, KY | 74 | 9 | 4.0 | $1.3M | +8.2% | #175 of 1,611 |
| 4Bullitt County, KY | 71 | 12 | 3.8 | $1.2M | +5.0% | #233 of 1,611 |
| 5Jessamine County, KY | 62 | 8 | 4.0 | $1.1M | +7.8% | #482 of 1,611 |
| 6Warren County, KY | 62 | 27 | 4.9 | $827K | +10.6% | #493 of 1,611 |
| 7Pike County, KY | 59 | 5 | 2.1 | $1.5M | −6.4% | #562 of 1,611 |
| 8Nelson County, KY | 58 | 11 | 5.7 | $690K | +4.8% | #617 of 1,611 |
| 9Hardin County, KY | 57 | 19 | 4.3 | $972K | +2.4% | #629 of 1,611 |
| 10Kenton County, KY | 57 | 36 | 5.3 | $940K | +3.9% | #632 of 1,611 |
| 28McCracken County, KY | 36 | 17 | 6.2 | $676K | −0.5% | #1,184 of 1,611 |
Other business types in McCracken 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 preschools36
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in McCracken County, KY?
There are 17 child care centers and preschools on map listings in McCracken County as of September 2026. One of them (6%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 48 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in McCracken County, KY spend on child care and other personal services?
About $11.5M a year, or $416 per household. That is 28% below the U.S. average (an index of 72, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $676K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,601 households in McCracken County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McCracken County, KY compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
McCracken County has 6.2 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $676K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, McCracken County would have about 12, against 17 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,624 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is McCracken County, KY growing?
Population estimates put McCracken County at 67,553 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 27,601 households. The median household income in McCracken County is $64,373 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 39.7% 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. McCracken County scores 36 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,184 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McCracken 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 McCracken County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McCracken 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 McCracken 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.