Child care · County · Minnesota
Child care centers and preschools in Washington County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Washington County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #372 of 1,611 scored counties
#9 of 44 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 70
- 15 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 66
- +11.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $67.2M
- On child care and other personal services · $637 a household
- Spending per listing
- $960K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.6
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 286,895
- +6.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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 70 child care centers and preschools in Washington County. 15 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 6.6 per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $637 per household (10% above the U.S. average), households in Washington County spend about $67.2M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $960K per center, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Washington County was 66 in 2023, up 11.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,600 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 395 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $14M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Washington County.
Population estimates show Washington County grew 6.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Washington County is 66 (upper middle), #372 of 1,611 scored counties and #9 of 44 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Washington 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 | Washington County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.6 | 6.0 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $960K | $833K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,600 | 1,567 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.9% | +3.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.9% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $637 | $500 | $581 |
| Median household income | $115,345 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 59 → 66+11.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,083
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $34.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 395Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7015 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $14M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Washington 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 Washington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 286,895+6.9% since 2020
- Households
- 105,577
- Median age
- 41.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 385 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 718
- Median household income
- $115,345+19.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $148,415
- Median home value
- $422,000
- Jobs located here
- 92,191
- Daytime population
- 224,861Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 |
Other business types in Washington 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 preschools66
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Washington County, MN?
Washington County has 70 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 11.9% from 2019. Official counts list 395 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Washington County, MN spend on child care and other personal services?
About $67.2M a year, or $637 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 70 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $960K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 105,577 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Washington County, MN compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Washington County has 6.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $960K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Washington County would have about 67, against 70 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,600 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Washington County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Washington County at 286,895 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 105,577 households. The median household income in Washington County is $115,345 a year, 43% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.3% 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. Washington County scores 66 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #372 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.