Child care · County · Minnesota
Child care centers and preschools in Scott County, MN
How Scott County, MN 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 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #611 of 1,611 scored counties
#15 of 44 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 41
- 2 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 43
- −15.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $36.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $672 a household
- Spending per listing
- $901K
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.5
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 159,017
- +5.1% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Scott 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 Scott 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
Households in Scott County spend about $36.9M a year on child care and other personal services, or $672 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $901K of household spending for each center on map listings, 10% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Scott County has 41 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 5%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 7.5 for every 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 43 businesses with payroll in Scott County classed as child care services, down 15.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,278 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 283 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Scott County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Scott County grew 5.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Scott County has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #611 of 1,611 scored counties and #15 of 44 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Scott 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 | Scott County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.5 | 6.0 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $901K | $833K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,278 | 1,567 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −15.7% | +3.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $672 | $500 | $581 |
| Median household income | $119,314 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 51 → 43−15.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 603
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 283Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 412 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $3.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Scott 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 Scott County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 159,017+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 54,971
- Median age
- 38.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 434
- Median household income
- $119,314+16.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $149,625
- Median home value
- $419,400
- Jobs located here
- 52,486
- Daytime population
- 123,757Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Scott 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 Scott 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 Scott 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 |
| 15Scott County, MN | 58 | 41 | 7.5 | $901K | +5.1% | #611 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Scott 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 preschools58
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Scott County, MN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 41 child care centers and preschools in Scott County. 2 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 15.7% from 2019. Another 283 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Scott County, MN spend on child care and other personal services?
About $36.9M a year, or $672 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 41 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $901K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 54,971 households in Scott County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Scott County, MN compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Scott County has 7.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $901K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Scott County would have about 37, against 41 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,278 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Scott County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Scott County at 159,017 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 54,971 households. Median household income in Scott County is $119,314, 48% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.8%, 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. Scott County scores 58 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #611 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Scott 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 Scott County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Scott 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 Scott 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.