Child care · County · Kentucky
Child care centers and preschools in Nelson County, KY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Nelson County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #617 of 1,611 scored counties
#8 of 37 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 11
- 1 chain location (9%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $7.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $396 a household
- Spending per listing
- $690K
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.7
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,036
- +4.8% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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
Households in Nelson County spend about $7.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $396 per household, 32% below the U.S. average. That is about $690K of household spending for each center on map listings, 31% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 11 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Nelson County as of September 2026. One of them (9%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.7, 2% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Nelson County in 2023. That is one for every 3,192 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 50 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Nelson County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Nelson County has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #617 of 1,611 scored counties and #8 of 37 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.7 | 4.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $690K | $849K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,192 | 1,962 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.6% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $396 | $405 | $581 |
| Median household income | $69,562 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 109
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 50Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 111 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,036+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 19,150
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 419 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 114
- Median household income
- $69,562+15.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,639
- Median home value
- $238,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,213
- Daytime population
- 41,912Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
Other business types in Nelson 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 preschools58
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Nelson County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 11 child care centers and preschools in Nelson County. One of them (9%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Another 50 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Nelson County, KY spend on child care and other personal services?
About $7.6M a year, or $396 per household. That is 32% below the U.S. average (an index of 68, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $690K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,150 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, KY compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Nelson County has 5.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $690K, 31% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Nelson County would have about 8, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,192 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Nelson County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 49,036 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,150 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $69,562, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.7%, 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. Nelson County scores 58 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #617 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.