Child care · County · Missouri
Child care centers and preschools in Clay County, MO
How Clay County, MO 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 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #464 of 1,611 scored counties
#6 of 55 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 52
- 12 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 48
- −14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $46.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $459 a household
- Spending per listing
- $901K
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.1
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 265,032
- +4.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Clay 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 Clay 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 Clay County spend about $46.9M a year on child care and other personal services, or $459 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $901K per center, 10% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Clay County has 52 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.1 for every 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Clay County was 48 in 2023, down 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,129 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 299 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Clay County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clay County grew 4.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Clay County is 63 (upper middle), #464 of 1,611 scored counties and #6 of 55 scored counties in Missouri.
How Clay County compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | Clay County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.1 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $901K | $679K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,129 | 1,714 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.3% | −2.2% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.3% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $459 | $399 | $581 |
| Median household income | $88,468 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 29 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 56 → 48−14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 861
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 299Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5212 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 47The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 265,032+4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 102,171
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 398 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 649
- Median household income
- $88,468+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,962
- Median home value
- $275,600
- Jobs located here
- 117,697
- Daytime population
- 242,115Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Missouri, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, MO | 75 | 6 | 4.3 | $981K | +9.2% | #167 of 1,611 |
| 2Lincoln County, MO | 67 | 13 | 5.7 | $748K | +11.4% | #351 of 1,611 |
| 3Platte County, MO | 65 | 28 | 6.4 | $839K | +6.7% | #405 of 1,611 |
| 4Cass County, MO | 64 | 25 | 5.8 | $782K | +7.1% | #440 of 1,611 |
| 5Jefferson County, MO | 63 | 38 | 4.3 | $971K | +2.7% | #458 of 1,611 |
| 6Clay County, MO | 63 | 52 | 5.1 | $901K | +4.3% | #464 of 1,611 |
| 7St. Charles County, MO | 63 | 100 | 6.2 | $900K | +4.9% | #465 of 1,611 |
| 8Camden County, MO | 61 | 7 | 3.9 | $984K | +2.9% | #520 of 1,611 |
| 9Taney County, MO | 59 | 7 | 3.1 | $1M | +1.7% | #572 of 1,611 |
| 10Franklin County, MO | 58 | 16 | 3.7 | $1M | +3.1% | #604 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Clay 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 preschools63
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Clay County, MO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 52 child care centers and preschools in Clay County. 12 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 48 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 14.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 299 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clay County, MO spend on child care and other personal services?
About $46.9M a year, or $459 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $901K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 102,171 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, MO compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Clay County has 5.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 12% below 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, Clay County would have about 47, against 52 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,129 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 265,032 people in 2025, up 4.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 102,171 households. Median household income in Clay County is $88,468, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.5%, 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. Clay County scores 63 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #464 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.