Child care · County · Maine
Child care centers and preschools in Kennebec County, ME
How Kennebec 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 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,034 of 1,611 scored counties
#9 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 33
- 1 chain location (3%)
- Official establishments
- 60
- +7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $25.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $472 a household
- Spending per listing
- $777K
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 129,067
- +3.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Kennebec 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 Kennebec 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 33 child care centers and preschools in Kennebec County. One of them (3%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 6.1 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $472 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Kennebec County spend about $25.6M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $777K of household spending for each center on map listings, 22% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 60 businesses with payroll in Kennebec County classed as child care services, up 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 905 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 169 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $960K has gone to businesses classed as child care services in Kennebec County.
Population estimates show Kennebec County grew 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Kennebec County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,034 of 1,611 scored counties and #9 of 16 scored counties in Maine.
How Kennebec 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 | Kennebec County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 7.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $777K | $718K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 905 | 886 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.1% | +1.8% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $472 | $538 | $581 |
| Median household income | $69,077 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 56 → 60+7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 481
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 169Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 331 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 26The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $960K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Kennebec 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 Kennebec County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 129,067+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 54,312
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 868 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 146
- Median household income
- $69,077+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,742
- Median home value
- $238,200
- Jobs located here
- 65,677
- Daytime population
- 134,017Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kennebec 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 Kennebec 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 Kennebec 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 Kennebec 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 preschools42
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Kennebec County, ME?
There are 33 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Kennebec County as of September 2026. One of them (3%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 60 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. Official counts list 169 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kennebec County, ME spend on child care and other personal services?
About $25.6M a year, or $472 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $777K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 54,312 households in Kennebec County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kennebec County, ME compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Kennebec County has 6.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $777K, 22% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Kennebec County would have about 26, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 905 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Kennebec County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Kennebec County at 129,067 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 54,312 households. The median household income in Kennebec County is $69,077 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.8% 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. Kennebec County scores 42 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,034 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kennebec 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 Kennebec County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kennebec 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 Kennebec 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.