Child care · County · Maryland
Child care centers and preschools in Dorchester County, MD
The child care centers and preschools in Dorchester County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #881 of 1,611 scored counties
#16 of 21 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 8
- 1 chain location (13%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $5.5M
- On child care and other personal services · $405 a household
- Spending per listing
- $686K
- 32% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.9
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,628
- +3.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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
At $405 per household (30% below the U.S. average), households in Dorchester County spend about $5.5M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $686K of household spending for each center on map listings, 32% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 8 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Dorchester County as of September 2026. One of them (13%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.9, 2% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Dorchester County classed as child care services. That is one for every 1,935 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 79 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Dorchester County grew 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Dorchester County is 48 (lower middle), #881 of 1,611 scored counties and #16 of 21 scored counties in Maryland.
How Dorchester 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 | Dorchester County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.9 | 7.1 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $686K | $924K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,935 | 1,570 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $405 | $656 | $581 |
| Median household income | $61,839 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 96
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 79Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 81 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,628+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 13,546
- Median age
- 43.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 541 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 61
- Median household income
- $61,839+16.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,771
- Median home value
- $262,400
- Jobs located here
- 12,352
- Daytime population
- 29,247Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 |
| 16Dorchester County, MD | 48 | 8 | 5.9 | $686K | +3.4% | #881 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Dorchester 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 preschools48
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Dorchester County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 8 child care centers and preschools in Dorchester County. One of them (13%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 79 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dorchester County, MD spend on child care and other personal services?
About $5.5M a year, or $405 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $686K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,546 households in Dorchester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dorchester County, MD compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Dorchester County has 5.9 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $686K, 32% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 6, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,935 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Dorchester County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Dorchester County at 33,628 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,546 households. Median household income in Dorchester County is $61,839, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.9%, 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. Dorchester County scores 48 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #881 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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.