Child care · County · Maine
Child care centers and preschools in Cumberland County, ME
How Cumberland County, ME compares with other counties and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #852 of 1,611 scored counties
#5 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 115
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 188
- +3.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $91.5M
- On child care and other personal services · $692 a household
- Spending per listing
- $795K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.7
- 50% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 317,222
- +4.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Cumberland 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 Cumberland 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 Cumberland County spend about $91.5M a year on child care and other personal services, or $692 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. That is about $795K of household spending for each center on map listings, 21% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Cumberland County has 115 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.7, 50% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 188 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Cumberland County in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 703 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 293 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $4.4M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Cumberland County.
Population estimates show Cumberland County grew 4.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Cumberland County is 49 (lower middle), #852 of 1,611 scored counties and #5 of 16 scored counties in Maine.
How Cumberland County compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Cumberland County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.7 | 7.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $795K | $718K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 703 | 886 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.3% | +1.8% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.5% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $692 | $538 | $581 |
| Median household income | $95,677 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 182 → 188+3.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,786
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $57.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 293Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1150 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 91The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $4.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 317,222+4.5% since 2020
- Households
- 132,168
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 836 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 369
- Median household income
- $95,677+30.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $128,060
- Median home value
- $451,200
- Jobs located here
- 199,197
- Daytime population
- 355,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cumberland 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 Cumberland 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Maine, with Cumberland County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| 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 |
Other business types in Cumberland 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 preschools49
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Cumberland County, ME?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 115 child care centers and preschools in Cumberland County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 188 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. Another 293 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Cumberland County, ME spend on child care and other personal services?
About $91.5M a year, or $692 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 115 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $795K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 132,168 households in Cumberland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cumberland County, ME compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Cumberland County has 8.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $795K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Cumberland County would have about 91, against 115 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 703 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Cumberland County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Cumberland County at 317,222 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 132,168 households. Median household income in Cumberland County is $95,677, 19% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.9%, 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. Cumberland County scores 49 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #852 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cumberland 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 Cumberland 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.