Child care · County · Minnesota
Child care centers and preschools in Carlton County, MN
The child care centers and preschools in Carlton County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,384 of 1,611 scored counties
#38 of 44 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 18
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $5.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $404 a household
- Spending per listing
- $316K
- 68% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.8
- 2.2 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,711
- +1.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Carlton 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 Carlton 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
Carlton County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,384 of 1,611 scored counties and #38 of 44 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 18 child care centers and preschools in Carlton County. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 12.8 for every 10,000 households, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Carlton County comes to about $5.7M a year: $404 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. That is about $316K of household spending for each center on map listings, 68% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Carlton County was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 1,566 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $593K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Carlton County. Population estimates put the population change in Carlton County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Carlton County compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Carlton County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.8 | 6.0 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $316K | $833K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,566 | 1,567 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $404 | $500 | $581 |
| Median household income | $80,573 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 112
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 56Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 180 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $593K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Carlton 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 Carlton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,711+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 14,090
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 861 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 42
- Median household income
- $80,573+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,202
- Median home value
- $245,100
- Jobs located here
- 12,806
- Daytime population
- 32,171Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carlton 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 Carlton 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Carlton County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| 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 |
| 38Carlton County, MN | 28 | 18 | 12.8 | $316K | +1.4% | #1,384 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Carlton 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 preschools28
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Carlton County, MN?
Carlton County has 18 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. None of them 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 list 56 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Carlton County, MN spend on child care and other personal services?
About $5.7M a year, or $404 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $316K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,090 households in Carlton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carlton County, MN compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Carlton County has 12.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $316K, 68% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Carlton County would have about 6, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,566 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Carlton County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Carlton County at 36,711 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,090 households. The median household income in Carlton County is $80,573 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.7% 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. Carlton County scores 28 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,384 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carlton 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 Carlton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carlton 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 Carlton 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.