Groundwork

Child care · County · Michigan

Child care centers and preschools in Berrien County, MI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,004 of 1,611 scored counties
#21 of 51 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
30
4 chain locations (13%)
Official establishments
32
+3.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$24.5M
On child care and other personal services · $383 a household
Spending per listing
$818K
18% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.7
19% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
152,444
−1.3% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Berrien 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 Berrien 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 30 child care centers and preschools in Berrien County. 4 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 4.7 per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.

Households in Berrien County spend about $24.5M a year on child care and other personal services, or $383 per household, 34% below the U.S. average. That works out to $818K per center, 18% below the U.S. figure of $1M.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Berrien County was 32 in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,000 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 195 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Berrien County declined 1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Berrien County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,004 of 1,611 scored counties and #21 of 51 scored counties in Michigan.

How Berrien 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 Berrien County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureBerrien CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.74.75.8
Spending per listing$818K$888K$1M
Households per official establishment2,0001,9501,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.2%+14.5%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.3%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$383$416$581
Median household income$65,425$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score4348

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
31 → 32+3.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
311
Annual payroll, 2023
$10.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
195Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
304 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
25The 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 Berrien 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 Berrien County

Population, 2025 estimate
152,444−1.3% since 2020
Households
63,999
Median age
43.3
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
568 sq. mi.
People per square mile
270
Median household income
$65,425+28.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$89,826
Median home value
$224,300
Jobs located here
53,306
Daytime population
143,817Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Berrien 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 Berrien 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 Berrien 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
21Berrien County, MI43304.7$818K−1.3%#1,004 of 1,611

Other business types in Berrien 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 Berrien County, MI?

Berrien County has 30 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. Another 195 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $24.5M a year, or $383 per household. That is 34% below the U.S. average (an index of 66, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $818K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 63,999 households in Berrien County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Berrien County has 4.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $818K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Berrien County would have about 25, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,000 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.

How fast is Berrien County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Berrien County at 152,444 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 63,999 households. The median household income in Berrien County is $65,425 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.8% 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. Berrien County scores 43 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,004 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Berrien 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 Berrien 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.