Child care · County · Maryland
Child care centers and preschools in Baltimore County, MD
The child care centers and preschools in Baltimore County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #976 of 1,611 scored counties
#19 of 21 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 255
- 20 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 219
- −8.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $192.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $579 a household
- Spending per listing
- $755K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.7
- 33% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 847,650
- −0.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Baltimore 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 Baltimore 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 255 child care centers and preschools in Baltimore County. Of those, 20 are chain locations, or 8%, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.7, 33% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Baltimore County comes to about $192.6M a year: $579 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $755K per center, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Baltimore County was 219 in 2023, down 8.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,520 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 1,302 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $11.3M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Baltimore County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Baltimore County declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Baltimore County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #976 of 1,611 scored counties and #19 of 21 scored counties in Maryland.
How Baltimore County 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 County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.7 | 7.1 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $755K | $924K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,520 | 1,570 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.4% | −2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $579 | $656 | $581 |
| Median household income | $91,768 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 239 → 219−8.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,580
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $78M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,302Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25520 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 192The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $11.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Baltimore 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 Baltimore County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 847,650−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 332,801
- Median age
- 41.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 598 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,422
- Median household income
- $91,768+19.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $122,863
- Median home value
- $349,300
- Jobs located here
- 385,518
- Daytime population
- 833,745Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Baltimore 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 Baltimore 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 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 County 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 |
| 19Baltimore County, MD | 44 | 255 | 7.7 | $755K | −0.7% | #976 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Baltimore 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 preschools44
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Baltimore County, MD?
Baltimore County has 255 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 20 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 219 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 8.4% from 2019. Another 1,302 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Baltimore County, MD spend on child care and other personal services?
About $192.6M a year, or $579 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 255 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $755K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 332,801 households in Baltimore County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Baltimore County, MD compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Baltimore County has 7.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $755K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Baltimore County would have about 192, against 255 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,520 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Baltimore County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Baltimore County at 847,650 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 332,801 households. The median household income in Baltimore County is $91,768 a year, 14% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.4% 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. Baltimore County scores 44 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #976 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 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 Baltimore County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Baltimore 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 Baltimore 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.