Market rankings · Maine
Child care centers and preschools in Maine
Markets across Maine ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 448
- 20 chain locations (4%)
- Official establishments
- 674
- +1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $321.5M
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.5
- 29% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $718K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #43 of 51
- Market score 31 · Lower middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Maine by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
As of September 2026, map listings count 448 child care centers and preschools in Maine. 20 of them (4%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 7.5 per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Maine comes to about $321.5M a year: $538 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That works out to $718K per center, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Maine was 674 in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 886 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 27 SBA-backed loans worth $10.3M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Maine.
Among the 50 states and DC, Maine ranks #43 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle). Of the 3 scored metro areas in or partly in Maine, the Portland-South Portland metro area scores highest (39). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Maine, the Augusta-Waterville area, scores 52.
Every market in Maine for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Maine, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Portland-South Portland, ME | 39 | 211 | 8.8 | $739K | +4.5% | #273 of 387 |
| 2Bangor, ME | 29 | 49 | 7.5 | $644K | +3.8% | #337 of 387 |
| 3Lewiston-Auburn, ME | 27 | 43 | 9.2 | $509K | +4.8% | #348 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Augusta-Waterville, ME | 52 | 33 | 6.1 | $777K | +3.5% | #215 of 454 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hancock County, ME | 59 | 12 | 4.7 | $1.1M | +3.0% | #569 of 1,611 |
| 2Lincoln County, ME | 57 | 9 | 5.4 | $967K | +3.8% | #630 of 1,611 |
| 3Sagadahoc County, ME | 53 | 10 | 6.1 | $952K | +3.4% | #742 of 1,611 |
| 4Aroostook County, ME | 50 | 10 | 3.3 | $1.2M | −0.7% | #810 of 1,611 |
| 5Cumberland County, ME | 49 | 115 | 8.7 | $795K | +4.5% | #852 of 1,611 |
| 6Somerset County, ME | 48 | 12 | 5.2 | $758K | +2.3% | #878 of 1,611 |
| 7Waldo County, ME | 45 | 9 | 5.2 | $915K | +2.6% | #951 of 1,611 |
| 8York County, ME | 43 | 86 | 9.4 | $639K | +4.8% | #1,018 of 1,611 |
| 9Kennebec County, ME | 42 | 33 | 6.1 | $777K | +3.5% | #1,034 of 1,611 |
| 10Knox County, ME | 38 | 15 | 8.1 | $674K | +1.1% | #1,149 of 1,611 |
| 11Penobscot County, ME | 38 | 49 | 7.5 | $644K | +3.8% | #1,151 of 1,611 |
| 12Oxford County, ME | 35 | 17 | 7.0 | $618K | +4.2% | #1,218 of 1,611 |
| 13Androscoggin County, ME | 33 | 43 | 9.2 | $509K | +4.8% | #1,281 of 1,611 |
| 14Piscataquis County, ME | 32 | 7 | 8.3 | $502K | +3.5% | #1,303 of 1,611 |
| 15Washington County, ME | 31 | 10 | 7.0 | $581K | +0.8% | #1,314 of 1,611 |
| 16Franklin County, ME | 30 | 11 | 8.7 | $486K | +4.6% | #1,339 of 1,611 |
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Maine?
Maine has 448 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 20 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 674 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,537 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Maine spend on child care and other personal services?
About $321.5M a year, or $538 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 448 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $718K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 597,159 households in Maine and national spending patterns by income.
How does Maine compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Maine has 7.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $718K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Maine would have about 321, against 448 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 886 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Maine has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 3 scored metro areas in or partly in Maine, the Portland-South Portland metro area scores highest, at 39 (lower middle). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Maine is the Augusta-Waterville area, at 52 (upper middle). Among 16 scored counties in Maine, Hancock County scores highest, at 59 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Maine scores 31 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #43 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Maine. 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.
Child care and preschools in other states
All 51 states
- Alabama
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- Delaware
- District of Columbia
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- Maine
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- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in Maine
Screening a site or an acquisition in Maine?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.