Groundwork

Child care · County · Michigan

Child care centers and preschools in Alpena County, MI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Alpena County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score

Not scored

The score needs at least 5 listings; this market has 4.

Listings
4
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
6
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$4M
On child care and other personal services · $305 a household
Spending per listing
$993K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.1
47% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
28,853
−0.1% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Alpena 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 Alpena County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 4 child care centers and preschools in Alpena County. That comes to 3.1 for every 10,000 households, 47% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.

Households in Alpena County spend about $4M a year on child care and other personal services, or $305 per household, 47% below the U.S. average. That works out to $993K per center, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Alpena County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 2,170 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 32 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Alpena County declined 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. With 4 child care centers and preschools on map listings, Alpena County isn’t given a market score: the score needs at least 5, since one listing more or less would swing it.

How Alpena County compares

The same measures for Michigan 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.

Child care and preschools in Alpena County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureAlpena CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.14.75.8
Spending per listing$993K$888K$1M
Households per official establishment2,1701,9501,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+14.5%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.1%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$305$416$581
Median household income$53,950$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market scoreNot scored48

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 6
Employees, 2023
42
Annual payroll, 2023
$925K
One-person businesses, 2023
32Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
40 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
4The 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 Alpena 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 Alpena County

Population, 2025 estimate
28,853−0.1% since 2020
Households
13,019
Median age
47.4
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
572 sq. mi.
People per square mile
50
Median household income
$53,950+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,418
Median home value
$153,900
Jobs located here
11,363
Daytime population
29,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Alpena 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 Alpena County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Child care and preschools across Michigan

Every Michigan market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Alpena County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for child care centers and preschools by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Barry County, MI7252.0$2M+2.2%#208 of 1,611
2Ottawa County, MI72534.8$1M+3.9%#222 of 1,611
3Cass County, MI7062.8$1.4M+0.2%#253 of 1,611
4Allegan County, MI68173.7$1.1M+2.1%#312 of 1,611
5Macomb County, MI671273.5$1.2M+0.7%#334 of 1,611
6St. Clair County, MI66202.9$1.3M+0.1%#355 of 1,611
7Livingston County, MI64425.5$1M+1.7%#426 of 1,611
8Oakland County, MI632885.4$1M+1.2%#454 of 1,611
9Ionia County, MI5752.1$1.7M−0.5%#618 of 1,611
10Kent County, MI571355.3$862K+2.5%#637 of 1,611
Alpena County, MINot scored43.1$993K−0.1%

Other business types in Alpena County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many child care centers and preschools are in Alpena County, MI?

Alpena County has 4 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Another 32 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Alpena County, MI spend on child care and other personal services?

About $4M a year, or $305 per household. That is 47% below the U.S. average (an index of 53, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $993K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,019 households in Alpena County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Alpena County, MI compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?

Alpena County has 3.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 47% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $993K, 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 2,170 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.

How fast is Alpena County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Alpena County at 28,853 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,019 households. The median household income in Alpena County is $53,950 a year, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% 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. Alpena County has no market score for child care centers and preschools: the score needs at least 5 on map listings, and it has 4.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alpena 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 Alpena County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Alpena 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 Alpena 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.