Market rankings · Massachusetts
Child care centers and preschools in Massachusetts
Markets across Massachusetts ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 2,053
- 216 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 2,309
- +3.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.2B
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.4
- 28% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 8% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #21 of 51
- Market score 58 · Upper middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Massachusetts by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 2,053 child care centers and preschools in Massachusetts. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.4, 28% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Massachusetts spend about $2.2B a year on child care and other personal services, or $795 per household, 37% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per center, 8% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 2,309 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Massachusetts in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,206 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 151 SBA-backed loans worth $90.6M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Massachusetts.
Among the 50 states and DC, Massachusetts ranks #21 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle). Of the 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Massachusetts, the Barnstable Town metro area scores highest (75). Of the 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Massachusetts, the Nantucket area scores highest (62).
Every market in Massachusetts for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Massachusetts, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Barnstable Town, MA | 75 | 53 | 5.0 | $1.4M | +2.4% | #33 of 387 |
| 2Pittsfield, MA | 65 | 29 | 5.0 | $1.1M | −1.2% | #83 of 387 |
| 3Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | 65 | 37 | 6.0 | $1.1M | +10.4% | #84 of 387 |
| 4Worcester, MA | 58 | 240 | 7.1 | $993K | +3.7% | #140 of 387 |
| 5Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 57 | 1,528 | 7.9 | $1.1M | +2.3% | #146 of 387 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 56 | 414 | 6.1 | $1M | +2.1% | #154 of 387 |
| 6Springfield, MA | 52 | 100 | 5.4 | $1M | +0.2% | #180 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Nantucket, MA | 62 | 6 | 11.4 | $920K | +3.6% | #130 of 454 |
| 2Greenfield, MA | 60 | 19 | 6.0 | $868K | −0.3% | #148 of 454 |
| Vineyard Haven, MA | Not scored | 4 | 5.3 | $1.6M | +3.1% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Barnstable County, MA | 77 | 53 | 5.0 | $1.4M | +2.4% | #128 of 1,611 |
| 2Berkshire County, MA | 67 | 29 | 5.0 | $1.1M | −1.2% | #335 of 1,611 |
| 3Hampshire County, MA | 67 | 37 | 6.0 | $1.1M | +10.4% | #339 of 1,611 |
| 4Plymouth County, MA | 64 | 157 | 7.7 | $1.1M | +3.5% | #424 of 1,611 |
| 5Suffolk County, MA | 62 | 141 | 4.3 | $1.8M | +0.1% | #470 of 1,611 |
| 6Worcester County, MA | 62 | 240 | 7.1 | $993K | +3.7% | #486 of 1,611 |
| 7Middlesex County, MA | 59 | 583 | 9.2 | $1M | +2.8% | #571 of 1,611 |
| 8Essex County, MA | 58 | 242 | 7.7 | $1M | +2.3% | #606 of 1,611 |
| 9Hampden County, MA | 56 | 100 | 5.4 | $1M | +0.2% | #655 of 1,611 |
| 10Nantucket County, MA | 56 | 6 | 11.4 | $920K | +3.6% | #662 of 1,611 |
| 11Bristol County, MA | 55 | 159 | 6.8 | $938K | +2.9% | #685 of 1,611 |
| 12Norfolk County, MA | 54 | 283 | 10.0 | $968K | +2.2% | #713 of 1,611 |
| 13Franklin County, MA | 54 | 19 | 6.0 | $868K | −0.3% | #722 of 1,611 |
| Dukes County, MA | Not scored | 4 | 5.3 | $1.6M | +3.1% |
Markets with fewer than 5 child care centers and preschools on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Massachusetts?
There are 2,053 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Massachusetts as of September 2026. 216 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 2,309 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. Another 8,307 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Massachusetts spend on child care and other personal services?
About $2.2B a year, or $795 per household. That is 37% above the U.S. average (an index of 137, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,053 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,785,042 households in Massachusetts and national spending patterns by income.
How does Massachusetts compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Massachusetts has 7.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.1M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Massachusetts would have about 2,209, against 2,053 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,206 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Massachusetts has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Massachusetts, the Barnstable Town metro area scores highest, at 75 (high). Among 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Massachusetts, the Nantucket area scores highest, at 62 (upper middle). Among 13 scored counties in Massachusetts, Barnstable County scores highest, at 77 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Massachusetts scores 58 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #21 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Massachusetts. 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.
Child care and preschools in other states
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Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in Massachusetts
Screening a site or an acquisition in Massachusetts?
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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.