Child care · County · Michigan
Child care centers and preschools in Ottawa County, MI
The child care centers and preschools in Ottawa County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #222 of 1,611 scored counties
#2 of 51 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 53
- 11 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 42
- +7.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $53.4M
- On child care and other personal services · $479 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.8
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 308,459
- +3.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 53 child care centers and preschools in Ottawa County. 11 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.8, 17% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Ottawa County spend about $53.4M a year on child care and other personal services, or $479 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1M per center, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Ottawa County in 2023, up 7.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,651 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 339 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Ottawa County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ottawa County grew 3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Ottawa County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #222 of 1,611 scored counties and #2 of 51 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Ottawa 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 | Ottawa County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.8 | 4.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $888K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,651 | 1,950 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.7% | +14.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $479 | $416 | $581 |
| Median household income | $90,502 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 39 → 42+7.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 716
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 339Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5311 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 53The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Ottawa 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 Ottawa County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 308,459+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 111,322
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 564 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 535
- Median household income
- $90,502+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $115,389
- Median home value
- $323,400
- Jobs located here
- 122,407
- Daytime population
- 286,672Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 |
Other business types in Ottawa 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 preschools72
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Ottawa County, MI?
There are 53 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Ottawa County as of September 2026. 11 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 7.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 339 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ottawa County, MI spend on child care and other personal services?
About $53.4M a year, or $479 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 53 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 111,322 households in Ottawa County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ottawa County, MI compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Ottawa County has 4.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1M, 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 2,651 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Ottawa County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Ottawa County at 308,459 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 111,322 households. The median household income in Ottawa County is $90,502 a year, 12% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Ottawa County scores 72 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #222 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ottawa 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 Ottawa County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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.