Child care · County · Maryland
Child care centers and preschools in Montgomery County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Montgomery County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #766 of 1,611 scored counties
#15 of 21 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 343
- 38 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 344
- −5.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $320.2M
- On child care and other personal services · $823 a household
- Spending per listing
- $933K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.8
- 52% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,074,582
- +1.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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
Households in Montgomery County spend about $320.2M a year on child care and other personal services, or $823 per household, 42% above the U.S. average. That is about $933K of household spending for each center on map listings, 7% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Montgomery County has 343 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 38 are chain locations, or 11%, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.8, 52% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Montgomery County was 344 in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,131 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 2,398 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $16.9M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Montgomery County.
Population estimates show Montgomery County grew 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Montgomery County is 52 (upper middle), #766 of 1,611 scored counties and #15 of 21 scored counties in Maryland.
How Montgomery 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 | Montgomery County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.8 | 7.1 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $933K | $924K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,131 | 1,570 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.0% | −2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $823 | $656 | $581 |
| Median household income | $132,450 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 362 → 344−5.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,087
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $176.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,398Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 34338 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 320The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 14
- Amount
- $16.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,074,582+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 389,210
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,162
- Median household income
- $132,450+21.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $181,353
- Median home value
- $640,300
- Jobs located here
- 491,378
- Daytime population
- 1,073,010Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 |
| 15Montgomery County, MD | 52 | 343 | 8.8 | $933K | +1.3% | #766 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Montgomery 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 preschools52
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Montgomery County, MD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 343 child care centers and preschools in Montgomery County. 38 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 344 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. Another 2,398 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Montgomery County, MD spend on child care and other personal services?
About $320.2M a year, or $823 per household. That is 42% above the U.S. average (an index of 142, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 343 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $933K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 389,210 households in Montgomery County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Montgomery County, MD compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Montgomery County has 8.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 52% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $933K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Montgomery County would have about 320, against 343 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,131 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Montgomery County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Montgomery County at 1,074,582 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 389,210 households. Median household income in Montgomery County is $132,450, 64% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.7%, 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. Montgomery County scores 52 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #766 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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.