Child care · Small-town market · Mississippi
Child care centers and preschools in the Columbus, MS area
The child care centers and preschools in the Columbus, MS area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 12 out of 100: Low
Ranked #444 of 454 scored small-town markets
#10 of 16 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi
- Listings
- 29
- 2 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- −15.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $9.2M
- On child care and other personal services · $340 a household
- Spending per listing
- $316K
- 68% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.8
- 86% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 67,144
- −2.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Columbus area
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 the Columbus area. 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
The Columbus area scores 12 (low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #444 of 454 scored small-town markets and #10 of 16 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $340 per household (41% below the U.S. average), households in the Columbus area spend about $9.2M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $316K per center, 68% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The Columbus area has 29 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 7% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.8, 86% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in the Columbus area was 27 in 2023, down 15.6% from 2019. That is one for every 998 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Columbus area declined 2.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Columbus area compares
The same measures for Mississippi 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 | Columbus area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.8 | 6.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $316K | $591K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 998 | 1,418 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −15.6% | +1.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.7% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $340 | $369 | $581 |
| Median household income | $51,117 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 12 | 12 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27−15.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 356
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 170Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 292 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The 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 the Columbus area, 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 the Columbus area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 67,144−2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 26,952
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,201 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 56
- Median household income
- $51,117
- Average household income
- $70,782
- Median home value
- $150,900
- Jobs located here
- 26,423
- Daytime population
- 68,077Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Columbus area. 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 Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Mississippi for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with the Columbus area marked.
Top small-town markets in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oxford, MS | 78 | 11 | 4.6 | $943K | +5.3% | #30 of 454 |
| 2Starkville, MS | 56 | 12 | 4.6 | $786K | +0.8% | #182 of 454 |
| 3Picayune, MS | 47 | 15 | 6.9 | $532K | +5.6% | #261 of 454 |
| 4Laurel, MS | 40 | 14 | 4.4 | $751K | −1.5% | #315 of 454 |
| 5Brookhaven, MS | 28 | 10 | 7.6 | $458K | +0.5% | #393 of 454 |
| 6Tupelo, MS | 28 | 47 | 9.1 | $421K | +0.8% | #394 of 454 |
| 7Vicksburg, MS | 26 | 16 | 9.5 | $435K | −6.3% | #404 of 454 |
| 8Natchez, MS-LA | 23 | 11 | 5.3 | $596K | −0.9% | #411 of 454 |
| 9Meridian, MS | 22 | 22 | 6.3 | $530K | −3.2% | #418 of 454 |
| 10Columbus, MS | 12 | 29 | 10.8 | $316K | −2.7% | #444 of 454 |
Other business types in the Columbus area
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 preschools12
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in the Columbus, MS area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 29 child care centers and preschools in the Columbus area. 2 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 15.6% from 2019. Official counts list 170 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Columbus, MS area spend on child care and other personal services?
About $9.2M a year, or $340 per household. That is 41% below the U.S. average (an index of 59, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 29 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $316K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,952 households in the Columbus area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, MS area compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Columbus area has 10.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 86% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $316K, 68% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, the Columbus area would have about 9, against 29 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 998 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, MS area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus area at 67,144 people in 2025, down 2.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 26,952 households. Median household income in the Columbus area is $51,117, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Columbus area scores 12 for child care centers and preschools (low), #444 of 454 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbus area. 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 the Columbus area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus area?
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 the Columbus area. 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.