Child care · County · Michigan
Child care centers and preschools in Ingham County, MI
How Ingham County, MI 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 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #751 of 1,611 scored counties
#12 of 51 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 52
- 4 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $44.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $379 a household
- Spending per listing
- $853K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.4
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 289,709
- +1.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Ingham 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 Ingham 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 52 child care centers and preschools in Ingham County. Chain locations make up 8% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 4.4 per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $379 per household (35% below the U.S. average), households in Ingham County spend about $44.3M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 52 child care centers and preschools, that is $853K per center, 15% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Ingham County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 2,342 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 450 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $477K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Ingham County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ingham County grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Ingham County has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #751 of 1,611 scored counties and #12 of 51 scored counties in Michigan.
How Ingham 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.
| Measure | Ingham County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $853K | $888K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,342 | 1,950 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +14.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $379 | $416 | $581 |
| Median household income | $65,526 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 50 → 500.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 584
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 450Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 524 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $477K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Ingham 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 Ingham County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 289,709+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 117,096
- Median age
- 36.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 556 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 511
- Median household income
- $65,526+23.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,082
- Median home value
- $198,800
- Jobs located here
- 166,989
- Daytime population
- 339,161Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ingham 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 Ingham 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Ingham County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Barry County, MI | 72 | 5 | 2.0 | $2M | +2.2% | #208 of 1,611 |
| 2Ottawa County, MI | 72 | 53 | 4.8 | $1M | +3.9% | #222 of 1,611 |
| 3Cass County, MI | 70 | 6 | 2.8 | $1.4M | +0.2% | #253 of 1,611 |
| 4Allegan County, MI | 68 | 17 | 3.7 | $1.1M | +2.1% | #312 of 1,611 |
| 5Macomb County, MI | 67 | 127 | 3.5 | $1.2M | +0.7% | #334 of 1,611 |
| 6St. Clair County, MI | 66 | 20 | 2.9 | $1.3M | +0.1% | #355 of 1,611 |
| 7Livingston County, MI | 64 | 42 | 5.5 | $1M | +1.7% | #426 of 1,611 |
| 8Oakland County, MI | 63 | 288 | 5.4 | $1M | +1.2% | #454 of 1,611 |
| 9Ionia County, MI | 57 | 5 | 2.1 | $1.7M | −0.5% | #618 of 1,611 |
| 10Kent County, MI | 57 | 135 | 5.3 | $862K | +2.5% | #637 of 1,611 |
| 12Ingham County, MI | 53 | 52 | 4.4 | $853K | +1.7% | #751 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Ingham 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 preschools53
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Ingham County, MI?
Ingham County has 52 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 450 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ingham County, MI spend on child care and other personal services?
About $44.3M a year, or $379 per household. That is 35% below the U.S. average (an index of 65, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $853K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 117,096 households in Ingham County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ingham County, MI compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Ingham County has 4.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $853K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Ingham County would have about 44, against 52 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,342 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Ingham County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Ingham County at 289,709 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 117,096 households. The median household income in Ingham County is $65,526 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.9% 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. Ingham County scores 53 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #751 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ingham 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 Ingham County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ingham 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 Ingham 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.