Child care · County · Maryland
Child care centers and preschools in Cecil County, MD
The child care centers and preschools in Cecil County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #218 of 1,611 scored counties
#3 of 21 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 20
- 1 chain location (5%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $22M
- On child care and other personal services · $541 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.9
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 107,131
- +3.2% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Cecil 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 Cecil 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
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Cecil County comes to about $22M a year: $541 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per center, 10% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 20 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Cecil County as of September 2026. One of them (5%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.9 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Cecil County was 18 in 2023. That is one for every 2,255 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 106 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $175K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Cecil County.
Population estimates show Cecil County grew 3.2% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Cecil County has a Groundwork market score of 72 (upper middle): #218 of 1,611 scored counties and #3 of 21 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Cecil 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 | Cecil County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.9 | 7.1 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $924K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,255 | 1,570 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.2% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $541 | $656 | $581 |
| Median household income | $92,007 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 18
- Employees, 2023
- 207
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 106Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 201 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $175K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Cecil 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 Cecil County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 107,131+3.2% since 2020
- Households
- 40,595
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 346 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 303
- Median household income
- $92,007+19.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,022
- Median home value
- $343,400
- Jobs located here
- 32,838
- Daytime population
- 90,110Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cecil 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 Cecil 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 Cecil 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 |
Other business types in Cecil 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 preschools72
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Cecil County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 20 child care centers and preschools in Cecil County. One of them (5%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts list 106 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cecil County, MD spend on child care and other personal services?
About $22M a year, or $541 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 40,595 households in Cecil County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cecil County, MD compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Cecil County has 4.9 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.1M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Cecil County would have about 22, against 20 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,255 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Cecil County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Cecil County at 107,131 people in 2025, up 3.2% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,595 households. Median household income in Cecil County is $92,007, 14% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.7%, 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. Cecil County scores 72 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #218 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cecil 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 Cecil County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cecil 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 Cecil 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.