Groundwork

Child care · County · Michigan

Child care centers and preschools in Gratiot County, MI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 17 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,533 of 1,611 scored counties
#51 of 51 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
15
2 chain locations (13%)
Official establishments
9
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$4.8M
On child care and other personal services · $322 a household
Spending per listing
$317K
68% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.2
76% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
41,190
−1.1% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Gratiot 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 Gratiot 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

Gratiot County scores 17 (low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,533 of 1,611 scored counties and #51 of 51 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $322 per household (45% below the U.S. average), households in Gratiot County spend about $4.8M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $317K per center, 68% below the U.S. figure of $1M.

There are 15 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Gratiot County as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 13%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 10.2 per 10,000 households, 76% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in Gratiot County classed as child care services. That is one for every 1,642 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Gratiot County declined 1.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Gratiot 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 Gratiot County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureGratiot CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.24.75.8
Spending per listing$317K$888K$1M
Households per official establishment1,6421,9501,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+14.5%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.1%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$322$416$581
Median household income$63,556$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score1748

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3 → 9
Employees, 2023
32
Annual payroll, 2023
$454K
One-person businesses, 2023
80Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
152 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
5The 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 Gratiot 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 Gratiot County

Population, 2025 estimate
41,190−1.1% since 2020
Households
14,775
Median age
40.1
Homes lived in by their owners
79%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
568 sq. mi.
People per square mile
73
Median household income
$63,556+32.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$83,011
Median home value
$147,500
Jobs located here
12,772
Daytime population
39,987Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Gratiot 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
51Gratiot County, MI171510.2$317K−1.1%#1,533 of 1,611

Other business types in Gratiot 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 Gratiot County, MI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 15 child care centers and preschools in Gratiot County. 2 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 80 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $4.8M a year, or $322 per household. That is 45% below the U.S. average (an index of 55, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $317K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,775 households in Gratiot County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Gratiot County has 10.2 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 76% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $317K, 68% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Gratiot County would have about 5, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,642 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.

How fast is Gratiot County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Gratiot County at 41,190 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,775 households. Median household income in Gratiot County is $63,556, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.8%, 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. Gratiot County scores 17 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,533 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Gratiot 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 Gratiot 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.