Child care · County · Missouri
Child care centers and preschools in Jackson County, MO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Jackson County, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,069 of 1,611 scored counties
#21 of 55 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 170
- 17 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 190
- −7.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $119M
- On child care and other personal services · $388 a household
- Spending per listing
- $700K
- 30% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 732,994
- +2.1% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Jackson 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 Jackson 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 170 child care centers and preschools in Jackson County. 17 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.5 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $388 per household (33% below the U.S. average), households in Jackson County spend about $119M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 170 child care centers and preschools, that is $700K per center, 30% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Jackson County was 190 in 2023, down 7.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,615 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 1,027 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $4.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Jackson County.
Population estimates put the population change in Jackson County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Jackson County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,069 of 1,611 scored counties and #21 of 55 scored counties in Missouri.
How Jackson 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 | Jackson County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.5 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $700K | $679K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,615 | 1,714 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.3% | −2.2% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $388 | $399 | $581 |
| Median household income | $68,577 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 29 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 205 → 190−7.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,774
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $77.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,027Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17017 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 119The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $4.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Jackson 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 Jackson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 732,994+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 306,798
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 605 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,191
- Median household income
- $68,577+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,212
- Median home value
- $230,500
- Jobs located here
- 400,567
- Daytime population
- 769,958Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson 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 |
| 21Jackson County, MO | 41 | 170 | 5.5 | $700K | +2.1% | #1,069 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Jackson 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 preschools41
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Jackson County, MO?
Jackson County has 170 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 190 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 7.3% from 2019. Official counts list 1,027 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Jackson County, MO spend on child care and other personal services?
About $119M a year, or $388 per household. That is 33% below the U.S. average (an index of 67, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 170 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $700K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 306,798 households in Jackson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jackson County, MO compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Jackson County has 5.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $700K, 30% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Jackson County would have about 119, against 170 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,615 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Jackson County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Jackson County at 732,994 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 306,798 households. The median household income in Jackson County is $68,577 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% 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. Jackson County scores 41 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,069 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jackson 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 Jackson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jackson 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 Jackson 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.