Child care · County · Maryland
Child care centers and preschools in St. Mary’s County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in St. Mary’s County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #428 of 1,611 scored counties
#9 of 21 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 31
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- +19.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $30.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $729 a household
- Spending per listing
- $998K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.3
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 116,692
- +2.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in St. Mary’s 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 St. Mary’s 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 St. Mary’s County comes to about $30.9M a year: $729 per household, 26% above the U.S. average. That works out to $998K per center, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 31 child care centers and preschools on map listings in St. Mary’s County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 7.3 for every 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in St. Mary’s County in 2023, up 19.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,697 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 211 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in St. Mary’s County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, St. Mary’s County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #428 of 1,611 scored counties and #9 of 21 scored counties in Maryland.
How St. Mary’s 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 | St. Mary’s County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.3 | 7.1 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $998K | $924K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,697 | 1,570 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.1% | −2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.4% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $729 | $656 | $581 |
| Median household income | $119,446 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 25+19.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 264
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 211Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 310 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The 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 St. Mary’s 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 St. Mary’s County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 116,692+2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 42,436
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 359 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 321
- Median household income
- $119,446+33.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,976
- Median home value
- $407,600
- Jobs located here
- 35,732
- Daytime population
- 104,060Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Mary’s 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 St. Mary’s 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 St. Mary’s 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 St. Mary’s 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 preschools64
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in St. Mary’s County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 31 child care centers and preschools in St. Mary’s County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 19.1% from 2019. Another 211 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in St. Mary’s County, MD spend on child care and other personal services?
About $30.9M a year, or $729 per household. That is 26% above the U.S. average (an index of 126, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $998K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 42,436 households in St. Mary’s County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Mary’s County, MD compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
St. Mary’s County has 7.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $998K, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,697 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Mary’s County, MD growing?
Population estimates put St. Mary’s County at 116,692 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 42,436 households. Median household income in St. Mary’s County is $119,446, 48% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.0%, 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. St. Mary’s County scores 64 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #428 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Mary’s 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 St. Mary’s County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Mary’s 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 St. Mary’s 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.