Child care · County · Missouri
Child care centers and preschools in McDonald County, MO
How McDonald 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 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,204 of 1,611 scored counties
#26 of 55 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 7
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $2.4M
- On child care and other personal services · $285 a household
- Spending per listing
- $349K
- 65% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.2
- 41% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,992
- +3.1% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in McDonald 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 McDonald 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 McDonald County spend about $2.4M a year on child care and other personal services, or $285 per household, 51% below the U.S. average. That works out to $349K per center, 65% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
McDonald County has 7 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.2, 41% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in McDonald County in 2023. That is one for every 2,853 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 23 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show McDonald County grew 3.1% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). McDonald County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,204 of 1,611 scored counties and #26 of 55 scored counties in Missouri.
How McDonald 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 | McDonald County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.2 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $349K | $679K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,853 | 1,714 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.2% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.1% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $285 | $399 | $581 |
| Median household income | $52,375 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 29 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 32
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $592K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 23Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 70 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2The 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 McDonald 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 McDonald County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,992+3.1% since 2020
- Households
- 8,558
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 539 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 44
- Median household income
- $52,375+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,959
- Median home value
- $154,700
- Jobs located here
- 7,407
- Daytime population
- 21,137Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDonald 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 McDonald 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 McDonald 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 |
| 26McDonald County, MO | 36 | 7 | 8.2 | $349K | +3.1% | #1,204 of 1,611 |
Other business types in McDonald 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 preschools36
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in McDonald County, MO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 7 child care centers and preschools in McDonald County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 23 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in McDonald County, MO spend on child care and other personal services?
About $2.4M a year, or $285 per household. That is 51% below the U.S. average (an index of 49, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $349K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,558 households in McDonald County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDonald County, MO compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
McDonald County has 8.2 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $349K, 65% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, McDonald County would have about 2, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,853 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is McDonald County, MO growing?
Population estimates put McDonald County at 23,992 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,558 households. Median household income in McDonald County is $52,375, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.8%, 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. McDonald County scores 36 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,204 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDonald 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 McDonald County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDonald 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 McDonald 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.