Child care · County · Mississippi
Child care centers and preschools in Forrest County, MS
How Forrest County, MS 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 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,411 of 1,611 scored counties
#17 of 38 scored counties in Mississippi
- Listings
- 22
- 1 chain location (5%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- −23.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $10.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $355 a household
- Spending per listing
- $486K
- 51% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.3
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 79,034
- +1.1% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Forrest 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 Forrest 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
The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Forrest County is 26 (lower middle), #1,411 of 1,611 scored counties and #17 of 38 scored counties in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Forrest County spend about $10.7M a year on child care and other personal services, or $355 per household, 39% below the U.S. average. Spread across 22 child care centers and preschools, that is $486K per center, 51% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Forrest County has 22 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (5%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.3, 26% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Forrest County was 20 in 2023, down 23.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,506 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $594K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Forrest County. Population estimates show Forrest County grew 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Forrest County 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 | Forrest County | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.3 | 6.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $486K | $591K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,506 | 1,418 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −23.1% | +1.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $355 | $369 | $581 |
| Median household income | $53,640 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 12 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26 → 20−23.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 200
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 220Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 221 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $594K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Forrest 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 Forrest County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 79,034+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 30,127
- Median age
- 35.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 466 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 168
- Median household income
- $53,640+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,383
- Median home value
- $168,000
- Jobs located here
- 39,538
- Daytime population
- 89,930Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Forrest 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 Forrest 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 Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Mississippi for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with Forrest County marked.
Top counties in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lafayette County, MS | 82 | 7 | 3.7 | $1.3M | +6.6% | #66 of 1,611 |
| 2Hancock County, MS | 76 | 6 | 3.0 | $1.4M | +1.6% | #140 of 1,611 |
| 3DeSoto County, MS | 73 | 29 | 4.1 | $1.2M | +6.3% | #194 of 1,611 |
| 4Rankin County, MS | 61 | 23 | 3.8 | $1.2M | +3.2% | #507 of 1,611 |
| 5Madison County, MS | 60 | 26 | 5.9 | $907K | +6.5% | #549 of 1,611 |
| 6Oktibbeha County, MS | 47 | 11 | 5.0 | $733K | +0.4% | #903 of 1,611 |
| 7Jackson County, MS | 46 | 32 | 5.6 | $739K | +3.0% | #930 of 1,611 |
| 8Lamar County, MS | 44 | 19 | 7.5 | $592K | +4.7% | #990 of 1,611 |
| 9Marshall County, MS | 44 | 8 | 6.1 | $575K | +2.6% | #992 of 1,611 |
| 10Harrison County, MS | 42 | 45 | 5.4 | $690K | +4.0% | #1,043 of 1,611 |
| 17Forrest County, MS | 26 | 22 | 7.3 | $486K | +1.1% | #1,411 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Forrest 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 preschools26
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Forrest County, MS?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22 child care centers and preschools in Forrest County. One of them (5%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 23.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 220 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Forrest County, MS spend on child care and other personal services?
About $10.7M a year, or $355 per household. That is 39% below the U.S. average (an index of 61, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $486K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 30,127 households in Forrest County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Forrest County, MS compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Forrest County has 7.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $486K, 51% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Forrest County would have about 11, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,506 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 23.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Forrest County, MS growing?
Population estimates put Forrest County at 79,034 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 30,127 households. Median household income in Forrest County is $53,640, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. Forrest County scores 26 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,411 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Forrest 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 Forrest County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Forrest 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 Forrest 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.