Child care · County · Maryland
Child care centers and preschools in Baltimore city, MD
The child care centers and preschools in Baltimore city, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,039 of 1,611 scored counties
#20 of 21 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 155
- 7 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 127
- −9.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $112.2M
- On child care and other personal services · $439 a household
- Spending per listing
- $724K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 569,997
- −2.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Baltimore city
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 Baltimore city. 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
At $439 per household (24% below the U.S. average), households in Baltimore city spend about $112.2M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 155 child care centers and preschools, that is $724K per center, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 155 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Baltimore city as of September 2026. 7 of them (5%) are chain locations, 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 127 businesses with payroll in Baltimore city classed as child care services, down 9.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,013 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,195 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Baltimore city.
Population estimates put the population change in Baltimore city from 2020 to 2025 at −2.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Baltimore city is 42 (lower middle), #1,039 of 1,611 scored counties and #20 of 21 scored counties in Maryland.
How Baltimore city compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Baltimore city | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 7.1 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $724K | $924K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,013 | 1,570 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.9% | −2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.3% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $439 | $656 | $581 |
| Median household income | $62,177 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 141 → 127−9.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,441
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $53M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,195Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1557 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 112The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Baltimore city, 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 Baltimore city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 569,997−2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 255,668
- Median age
- 37.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 48%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.1
- Land area
- 81 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 7,082
- Median household income
- $62,177+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,312
- Median home value
- $229,600
- Jobs located here
- 344,611
- Daytime population
- 667,322Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Baltimore city?
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 Baltimore city. 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Baltimore city marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Queen Anne’s County, MD | 77 | 15 | 7.5 | $920K | +8.8% | #136 of 1,611 |
| 2Worcester County, MD | 74 | 12 | 5.0 | $1.1M | +3.7% | #184 of 1,611 |
| 3Cecil County, MD | 72 | 20 | 4.9 | $1.1M | +3.2% | #218 of 1,611 |
| 4Harford County, MD | 71 | 60 | 5.9 | $1.1M | +2.0% | #237 of 1,611 |
| 5Anne Arundel County, MD | 71 | 152 | 6.8 | $1.1M | +1.7% | #238 of 1,611 |
| 6Charles County, MD | 70 | 42 | 6.9 | $1.1M | +5.9% | #260 of 1,611 |
| 7Washington County, MD | 67 | 30 | 5.0 | $944K | +2.0% | #343 of 1,611 |
| 8Frederick County, MD | 67 | 88 | 8.4 | $889K | +11.0% | #346 of 1,611 |
| 9St. Mary’s County, MD | 64 | 31 | 7.3 | $998K | +2.4% | #428 of 1,611 |
| 10Prince George’s County, MD | 60 | 208 | 6.0 | $1M | +0.5% | #537 of 1,611 |
| 20Baltimore city, MD | 42 | 155 | 6.1 | $724K | −2.3% | #1,039 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Baltimore city
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 Baltimore city, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 155 child care centers and preschools in Baltimore city. 7 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 127 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 9.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,195 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Baltimore city, MD spend on child care and other personal services?
About $112.2M a year, or $439 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 155 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $724K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 255,668 households in Baltimore city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Baltimore city, MD compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Baltimore city 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 $724K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Baltimore city would have about 112, against 155 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,013 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Baltimore city, MD growing?
Population estimates put Baltimore city at 569,997 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 255,668 households. Median household income in Baltimore city is $62,177, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. Baltimore city scores 42 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,039 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Baltimore city. 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 Baltimore city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Baltimore city?
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 Baltimore city. 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.