Market rankings · Minnesota
Child care centers and preschools in Minnesota
Markets across Minnesota ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,385
- 218 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 1,473
- +3.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.0
- 3% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $833K
- 17% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #32 of 51
- Market score 43 · Lower middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Minnesota by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 1,385 child care centers and preschools in Minnesota. 218 of them (16%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.0, 3% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Minnesota spend about $1.2B a year on child care and other personal services, or $500 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 1,385 child care centers and preschools, that is $833K per center, 17% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,473 businesses with payroll in Minnesota classed as child care services, up 3.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,567 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 95 SBA-backed loans worth $88.3M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Minnesota.
Among the 50 states and DC, Minnesota ranks #32 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 43 (lower middle). Of the 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Minnesota, the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area scores highest (45). Of the 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Minnesota, the Brainerd area scores highest (80).
Every market in Minnesota for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Minnesota, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 45 | 954 | 6.5 | $866K | +2.6% | #235 of 387 |
| 2Rochester, MN | 42 | 56 | 6.0 | $851K | +2.0% | #255 of 387 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | 35 | 64 | 5.8 | $739K | +7.7% | #292 of 387 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 34 | 85 | 6.9 | $632K | +9.5% | #304 of 387 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | 32 | 20 | 4.6 | $842K | +0.8% | #314 of 387 |
| 3St. Cloud, MN | 32 | 40 | 5.1 | $797K | +3.0% | #315 of 387 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 32 | 39 | 5.4 | $735K | +0.4% | #317 of 387 |
| 4Duluth, MN-WI | 29 | 80 | 6.6 | $584K | +0.2% | #340 of 387 |
| 5Mankato, MN | 25 | 24 | 5.9 | $690K | +1.2% | #358 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brainerd, MN | 80 | 11 | 2.6 | $1.5M | +4.3% | #20 of 454 |
| 2Fergus Falls, MN | 78 | 7 | 2.8 | $1.4M | +1.6% | #27 of 454 |
| 3Detroit Lakes, MN | 76 | 5 | 3.5 | $1.1M | +0.9% | #36 of 454 |
| 4Winona, MN | 75 | 7 | 3.5 | $1.1M | +1.8% | #46 of 454 |
| 5Alexandria, MN | 73 | 6 | 3.4 | $1.2M | +2.6% | #52 of 454 |
| 6Bemidji, MN | 68 | 7 | 3.9 | $980K | +1.8% | #91 of 454 |
| 7Austin, MN | 68 | 7 | 4.5 | $841K | +2.3% | #93 of 454 |
| 8Willmar, MN | 60 | 9 | 5.1 | $765K | +2.3% | #152 of 454 |
| 9Red Wing, MN | 55 | 14 | 7.1 | $611K | +1.3% | #193 of 454 |
| 10Grand Rapids, MN | 50 | 8 | 4.3 | $842K | +0.9% | #230 of 454 |
| 11Faribault-Northfield, MN | 50 | 20 | 8.5 | $518K | +4.2% | #235 of 454 |
| 12Hutchinson, MN | 49 | 10 | 6.6 | $628K | −0.3% | #238 of 454 |
| 13Owatonna, MN | 47 | 13 | 8.6 | $492K | +0.2% | #262 of 454 |
| 14Marshall, MN | 25 | 12 | 11.9 | $342K | +1.0% | #408 of 454 |
| Wahpeton, ND-MN | 24 | 9 | 9.5 | $416K | 0.0% | #410 of 454 |
| Albert Lea, MN | Not scored | 4 | 3.1 | $1.2M | −1.5% | |
| New Ulm, MN | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.5% | |
| Worthington, MN | Not scored | 3 | 3.9 | $957K | +0.6% | |
| Fairmont, MN | Not scored | 4 | 4.5 | $743K | −2.8% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Clay County, MN | 79 | 8 | 3.0 | $1.4M | +3.6% | #96 of 1,611 |
| 2Crow Wing County, MN | 78 | 6 | 2.0 | $1.9M | +4.3% | #107 of 1,611 |
| 3Wright County, MN | 75 | 27 | 5.0 | $1.1M | +11.1% | #161 of 1,611 |
| 4Otter Tail County, MN | 71 | 7 | 2.8 | $1.4M | +1.6% | #230 of 1,611 |
| 5Isanti County, MN | 70 | 7 | 4.3 | $996K | +7.3% | #264 of 1,611 |
| 6Becker County, MN | 67 | 5 | 3.5 | $1.1M | +0.9% | #336 of 1,611 |
| 7Winona County, MN | 67 | 7 | 3.5 | $1.1M | +1.8% | #338 of 1,611 |
| 8Sherburne County, MN | 66 | 19 | 5.3 | $1M | +6.8% | #368 of 1,611 |
| 9Washington County, MN | 66 | 70 | 6.6 | $960K | +6.9% | #372 of 1,611 |
| 10Douglas County, MN | 65 | 6 | 3.4 | $1.2M | +2.6% | #388 of 1,611 |
| 11Anoka County, MN | 63 | 72 | 5.2 | $1M | +4.7% | #455 of 1,611 |
| 12Cass County, MN | 61 | 5 | 3.9 | $968K | +4.2% | #521 of 1,611 |
| 13Beltrami County, MN | 60 | 7 | 3.9 | $980K | +1.8% | #544 of 1,611 |
| 14Mower County, MN | 59 | 7 | 4.5 | $841K | +2.3% | #580 of 1,611 |
| 15Scott County, MN | 58 | 41 | 7.5 | $901K | +5.1% | #611 of 1,611 |
| 16Pine County, MN | 55 | 6 | 4.9 | $745K | +5.5% | #696 of 1,611 |
| 17Chisago County, MN | 54 | 13 | 6.1 | $837K | +4.3% | #725 of 1,611 |
| 18Carver County, MN | 54 | 35 | 8.5 | $821K | +6.6% | #731 of 1,611 |
| 19Kandiyohi County, MN | 51 | 9 | 5.1 | $765K | +2.3% | #802 of 1,611 |
| 20Dakota County, MN | 49 | 133 | 7.6 | $754K | +3.9% | #856 of 1,611 |
| 21Goodhue County, MN | 48 | 14 | 7.1 | $611K | +1.3% | #883 of 1,611 |
| 22Ramsey County, MN | 46 | 116 | 5.2 | $907K | −1.8% | #920 of 1,611 |
| 23Olmsted County, MN | 46 | 46 | 6.9 | $792K | +2.3% | #923 of 1,611 |
| 24Morrison County, MN | 45 | 8 | 5.7 | $649K | +1.9% | #963 of 1,611 |
| 25Rice County, MN | 44 | 20 | 8.5 | $518K | +4.2% | #994 of 1,611 |
Show all 87 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Hennepin County, MN | 43 | 381 | 7.1 | $815K | +0.2% | #1,005 of 1,611 |
| 27Stearns County, MN | 43 | 32 | 5.2 | $794K | +3.6% | #1,006 of 1,611 |
| 28McLeod County, MN | 42 | 10 | 6.6 | $628K | −0.3% | #1,048 of 1,611 |
| 29Itasca County, MN | 41 | 8 | 4.3 | $842K | +0.9% | #1,062 of 1,611 |
| 30St. Louis County, MN | 41 | 54 | 6.2 | $624K | +0.2% | #1,080 of 1,611 |
| 31Steele County, MN | 41 | 13 | 8.6 | $492K | +0.2% | #1,087 of 1,611 |
| 32Blue Earth County, MN | 40 | 14 | 5.1 | $768K | +2.1% | #1,096 of 1,611 |
| 33Houston County, MN | 40 | 5 | 6.1 | $687K | −2.3% | #1,105 of 1,611 |
| 34Benton County, MN | 38 | 8 | 4.8 | $809K | +0.9% | #1,138 of 1,611 |
| 35Polk County, MN | 36 | 8 | 6.5 | $609K | −1.8% | #1,192 of 1,611 |
| 36Waseca County, MN | 36 | 5 | 6.7 | $557K | −1.5% | #1,198 of 1,611 |
| 37Mille Lacs County, MN | 35 | 8 | 7.5 | $498K | +4.8% | #1,229 of 1,611 |
| 38Carlton County, MN | 28 | 18 | 12.8 | $316K | +1.4% | #1,384 of 1,611 |
| 39Nicollet County, MN | 27 | 10 | 7.7 | $580K | −0.7% | #1,389 of 1,611 |
| 40Lyon County, MN | 19 | 12 | 11.9 | $342K | +1.0% | #1,508 of 1,611 |
| 41Cottonwood County, MN | 19 | 6 | 13.0 | $285K | −1.0% | #1,509 of 1,611 |
| 42Faribault County, MN | 18 | 5 | 8.2 | $431K | −0.1% | #1,514 of 1,611 |
| 43Wadena County, MN | 16 | 6 | 9.9 | $317K | +1.9% | #1,543 of 1,611 |
| 44Pennington County, MN | 15 | 6 | 9.7 | $388K | −1.8% | #1,550 of 1,611 |
| Freeborn County, MN | Not scored | 4 | 3.1 | $1.2M | −1.5% | |
| Le Sueur County, MN | Not scored | 4 | 3.4 | $1.4M | +2.9% | |
| Brown County, MN | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.5% | |
| Todd County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 1.0 | $3.4M | +3.0% | |
| Meeker County, MN | Not scored | 3 | 3.2 | $1.2M | +0.7% | |
| Nobles County, MN | Not scored | 3 | 3.9 | $957K | +0.6% | |
| Hubbard County, MN | Not scored | 4 | 4.5 | $853K | +4.6% | |
| Wabasha County, MN | Not scored | 3 | 3.3 | $1.3M | +0.7% | |
| Fillmore County, MN | Not scored | 4 | 4.6 | $838K | +1.4% | |
| Dodge County, MN | Not scored | 3 | 3.7 | $1.3M | +2.3% | |
| Martin County, MN | Not scored | 4 | 4.5 | $743K | −2.8% | |
| Kanabec County, MN | Not scored | 2 | 3.0 | $1.2M | +3.6% | |
| Aitkin County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 1.4 | $2.3M | +3.5% | |
| Redwood County, MN | Not scored | 3 | 4.8 | $717K | −1.0% | |
| Roseau County, MN | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.3% | |
| Sibley County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 1.7 | $2.5M | +3.6% | |
| Renville County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 1.7 | $2.2M | −2.3% | |
| Chippewa County, MN | Not scored | 2 | 3.9 | $916K | −1.6% | |
| Koochiching County, MN | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.7% | |
| Pope County, MN | Not scored | 3 | 6.1 | $654K | +0.8% | |
| Watonwan County, MN | Not scored | 3 | 7.1 | $539K | +2.0% | |
| Lake County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 2.0 | $1.8M | −1.6% | |
| Jackson County, MN | Not scored | 2 | 4.6 | $847K | −1.3% | |
| Swift County, MN | Not scored | 2 | 4.9 | $724K | −0.4% | |
| Stevens County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 2.6 | $1.6M | +0.8% | |
| Rock County, MN | Not scored | 3 | 7.4 | $548K | −1.7% | |
| Yellow Medicine County, MN | Not scored | 3 | 7.4 | $524K | −0.2% | |
| Pipestone County, MN | Not scored | 5 | 12.6 | $287K | −1.7% | |
| Marshall County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 2.6 | $1.3M | −2.5% | |
| Clearwater County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 3.0 | $1.2M | +1.0% | |
| Murray County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 2.8 | $1.4M | −2.9% | |
| Lac qui Parle County, MN | Not scored | 3 | 10.3 | $386K | +0.2% | |
| Wilkin County, MN | Not scored | 2 | 7.5 | $466K | −2.9% | |
| Norman County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 3.7 | $948K | −1.6% | |
| Grant County, MN | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.1% | |
| Cook County, MN | Not scored | 2 | 7.4 | $542K | −1.4% | |
| Lincoln County, MN | Not scored | 2 | 8.2 | $463K | −0.7% | |
| Mahnomen County, MN | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.1% | |
| Big Stone County, MN | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.0% | |
| Kittson County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 5.6 | $707K | −3.7% | |
| Red Lake County, MN | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +0.1% | |
| Lake of the Woods County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 5.5 | $765K | 0.0% | |
| Traverse County, MN | Not scored | 1 | 7.6 | $482K | −6.8% |
Markets with fewer than 5 child care centers and preschools on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Minnesota?
Minnesota has 1,385 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 218 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 1,473 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 3.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 9,845 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Minnesota spend on child care and other personal services?
About $1.2B a year, or $500 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,385 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $833K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,307,955 households in Minnesota and national spending patterns by income.
How does Minnesota compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Minnesota has 6.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $833K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Minnesota would have about 1,152, against 1,385 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,567 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Minnesota has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Minnesota, the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area scores highest, at 45 (lower middle). Among 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Minnesota, the Brainerd area scores highest, at 80 (high). Among 44 scored counties in Minnesota, Clay County scores highest, at 79 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Minnesota scores 43 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #32 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Minnesota. 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.
Child care and preschools in other states
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Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in Minnesota
Screening a site or an acquisition in Minnesota?
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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.