Child care · County · Maryland
Child care centers and preschools in Frederick County, MD
The child care centers and preschools in Frederick County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #346 of 1,611 scored counties
#8 of 21 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 88
- 12 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $78.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $748 a household
- Spending per listing
- $889K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.4
- 45% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 302,883
- +11.0% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Frederick 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 Frederick 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 88 child care centers and preschools in Frederick County. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.4, 45% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Frederick County spend about $78.3M a year on child care and other personal services, or $748 per household, 29% above the U.S. average. That is about $889K of household spending for each center on map listings, 11% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 65 businesses with payroll in Frederick County classed as child care services, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 1,610 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 465 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $4.4M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Frederick County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Frederick County grew 11.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Frederick County is 67 (upper middle), #346 of 1,611 scored counties and #8 of 21 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Frederick 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 | Frederick County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.4 | 7.1 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $889K | $924K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,610 | 1,570 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.0% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $748 | $656 | $581 |
| Median household income | $122,002 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 65 → 650.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 850
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $27.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 465Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8812 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 78The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $4.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Frederick 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 Frederick County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 302,883+11.0% since 2020
- Households
- 104,635
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 661 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 434
- Median household income
- $122,002+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $148,311
- Median home value
- $464,600
- Jobs located here
- 108,637
- Daytime population
- 254,360Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Frederick 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 Frederick 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 Frederick 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 Frederick 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 preschools67
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Frederick County, MD?
There are 88 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Frederick County as of September 2026. 12 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 465 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Frederick County, MD spend on child care and other personal services?
About $78.3M a year, or $748 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 88 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $889K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 104,635 households in Frederick County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Frederick County, MD compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Frederick County has 8.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $889K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Frederick County would have about 78, against 88 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,610 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Frederick County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Frederick County at 302,883 people in 2025, up 11.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 104,635 households. The median household income in Frederick County is $122,002 a year, 51% above 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. Frederick County scores 67 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #346 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Frederick 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 Frederick County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Frederick 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 Frederick 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.