Child care · County · Minnesota
Child care centers and preschools in Pennington County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Pennington County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 15 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,550 of 1,611 scored counties
#44 of 44 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 6
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $2.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $375 a household
- Spending per listing
- $388K
- 61% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.7
- 67% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,686
- −1.8% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Pennington 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 Pennington 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
For child care centers and preschools, Pennington County has a Groundwork market score of 15 (low): #1,550 of 1,611 scored counties and #44 of 44 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $375 per household (35% below the U.S. average), households in Pennington County spend about $2.3M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $388K per center, 61% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Pennington County has 6 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.7, 67% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for child care services in Pennington County, since they leave out counts under 3. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Pennington County declined 1.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Pennington 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 | Pennington County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.7 | 6.0 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $388K | $833K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 1,567 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.8% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $375 | $500 | $581 |
| Median household income | $77,325 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 15 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 57Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 60 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2The 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 Pennington 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 Pennington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,686−1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 6,207
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 617 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $77,325+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,104
- Median home value
- $195,500
- Jobs located here
- 10,431
- Daytime population
- 16,641Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pennington 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 Pennington 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 Pennington 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 |
| 44Pennington County, MN | 15 | 6 | 9.7 | $388K | −1.8% | #1,550 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Pennington 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 preschools15
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Pennington County, MN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 6 child care centers and preschools in Pennington County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. No official count is published for child care services in Pennington County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts list 57 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Pennington County, MN spend on child care and other personal services?
About $2.3M a year, or $375 per household. That is 35% below the U.S. average (an index of 65, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $388K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,207 households in Pennington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pennington County, MN compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Pennington County has 9.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $388K, 61% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Pennington County would have about 2, against 6 on map listings.
How fast is Pennington County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Pennington County at 13,686 people in 2025, down 1.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,207 households. Median household income in Pennington County is $77,325, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.6%, 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. Pennington County scores 15 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,550 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pennington 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 Pennington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pennington 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 Pennington 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.