Child care · County · Massachusetts
Child care centers and preschools in Suffolk County, MA
How Suffolk County, MA compares with other counties and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #470 of 1,611 scored counties
#5 of 13 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 141
- 17 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 277
- +25.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $250.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $765 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 77% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.3
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 791,891
- +0.1% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk County comes to about $250.3M a year: $765 per household, 32% above the U.S. average. Spread across 141 child care centers and preschools, that is $1.8M per center, 77% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Suffolk County has 141 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.3, 26% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 277 businesses with payroll in Suffolk County classed as child care services, up 25.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,181 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 1,255 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Suffolk County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Suffolk County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Suffolk County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #470 of 1,611 scored counties and #5 of 13 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Suffolk County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Suffolk County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.3 | 7.4 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $1.1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,181 | 1,206 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +25.9% | +3.2% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $765 | $795 | $581 |
| Median household income | $95,631 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 220 → 277+25.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,479
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $144M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,255Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14117 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 250The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 791,891+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 327,167
- Median age
- 36.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 36%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.0
- Land area
- 58 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 13,478
- Median household income
- $95,631+37.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,221
- Median home value
- $705,800
- Jobs located here
- 748,596
- Daytime population
- 1,129,553Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Suffolk County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| 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 |
Other business types in Suffolk 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 preschools62
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Suffolk County, MA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 141 child care centers and preschools in Suffolk County. 17 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 277 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 25.9% from 2019. Official counts list 1,255 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Suffolk County, MA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $250.3M a year, or $765 per household. That is 32% above the U.S. average (an index of 132, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 141 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 327,167 households in Suffolk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Suffolk County, MA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Suffolk County has 4.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.8M, 77% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Suffolk County would have about 250, against 141 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,181 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Suffolk County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Suffolk County at 791,891 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 327,167 households. Median household income in Suffolk County is $95,631, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.3%, 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. Suffolk County scores 62 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #470 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.