Child care · County · Minnesota
Child care centers and preschools in Stearns County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Stearns County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,006 of 1,611 scored counties
#27 of 44 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 32
- 4 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 49
- +2.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $25.4M
- On child care and other personal services · $414 a household
- Spending per listing
- $794K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.2
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 164,110
- +3.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Stearns 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 Stearns 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 32 child care centers and preschools in Stearns County. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 13%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.2 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $414 per household (29% below the U.S. average), households in Stearns County spend about $25.4M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $794K of household spending for each center on map listings, 21% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Stearns County was 49 in 2023, up 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,253 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 402 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $614K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Stearns County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Stearns County grew 3.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Stearns County is 43 (lower middle), #1,006 of 1,611 scored counties and #27 of 44 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Stearns 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 | Stearns County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.2 | 6.0 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $794K | $833K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,253 | 1,567 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.1% | +3.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $414 | $500 | $581 |
| Median household income | $77,066 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 48 → 49+2.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 637
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 402Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 324 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $614K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Stearns 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 Stearns County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 164,110+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 61,403
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,343 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 120
- Median household income
- $77,066+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,367
- Median home value
- $273,400
- Jobs located here
- 83,579
- Daytime population
- 169,051Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stearns 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 Stearns 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 Stearns 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 |
| 27Stearns County, MN | 43 | 32 | 5.2 | $794K | +3.6% | #1,006 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Stearns 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 preschools43
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Stearns County, MN?
Stearns County has 32 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 49 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 2.1% from 2019. Another 402 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Stearns County, MN spend on child care and other personal services?
About $25.4M a year, or $414 per household. That is 29% below the U.S. average (an index of 71, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $794K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 61,403 households in Stearns County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stearns County, MN compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Stearns County has 5.2 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $794K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Stearns County would have about 25, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,253 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Stearns County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Stearns County at 164,110 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 61,403 households. The median household income in Stearns County is $77,066 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.7% 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. Stearns County scores 43 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,006 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stearns 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 Stearns County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stearns 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 Stearns 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.