Groundwork

Child care · County · Missouri

Child care centers and preschools in St. Charles County, MO

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in St. Charles County, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #465 of 1,611 scored counties
#7 of 55 scored counties in Missouri

Listings
100
23 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
90
−4.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$90M
On child care and other personal services · $558 a household
Spending per listing
$900K
10% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.2
7% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
426,499
+4.9% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in St. Charles 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 St. Charles County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 100 child care centers and preschools in St. Charles County. 23 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 6.2 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.

Households in St. Charles County spend about $90M a year on child care and other personal services, or $558 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $900K per center, 10% below the U.S. figure of $1M.

Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in St. Charles County in 2023, down 4.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,792 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 378 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $15.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in St. Charles County.

Population estimates put the population change in St. Charles County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). St. Charles County scores 63 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #465 of 1,611 scored counties and #7 of 55 scored counties in Missouri.

How St. Charles 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.

Child care and preschools in St. Charles County, MO compared with Missouri and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Charles CountyMissouriU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.25.95.8
Spending per listing$900K$679K$1M
Households per official establishment1,7921,7141,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−4.3%−2.2%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.9%+1.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$558$399$581
Median household income$104,692$70,702$80,734
Groundwork market score6329

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
94 → 90−4.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,748
Annual payroll, 2023
$47.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
378Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10023 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
90The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
10
Amount
$15.8M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in St. Charles 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 St. Charles County

Population, 2025 estimate
426,499+4.9% since 2020
Households
161,311
Median age
40.8
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
560 sq. mi.
People per square mile
740
Median household income
$104,692+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$129,305
Median home value
$320,800
Jobs located here
167,185
Daytime population
365,581Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Charles 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 St. Charles County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Child 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 St. Charles County marked.

Top counties in Missouri

Counties in Missouri ranked for child care centers and preschools by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, MO7564.3$981K+9.2%#167 of 1,611
2Lincoln County, MO67135.7$748K+11.4%#351 of 1,611
3Platte County, MO65286.4$839K+6.7%#405 of 1,611
4Cass County, MO64255.8$782K+7.1%#440 of 1,611
5Jefferson County, MO63384.3$971K+2.7%#458 of 1,611
6Clay County, MO63525.1$901K+4.3%#464 of 1,611
7St. Charles County, MO631006.2$900K+4.9%#465 of 1,611
8Camden County, MO6173.9$984K+2.9%#520 of 1,611
9Taney County, MO5973.1$1M+1.7%#572 of 1,611
10Franklin County, MO58163.7$1M+3.1%#604 of 1,611

Other business types in St. Charles County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many child care centers and preschools are in St. Charles County, MO?

St. Charles County has 100 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 23 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 4.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 378 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in St. Charles County, MO spend on child care and other personal services?

About $90M a year, or $558 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 100 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $900K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 161,311 households in St. Charles County and national spending patterns by income.

How does St. Charles County, MO compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?

St. Charles County has 6.2 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $900K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, St. Charles County would have about 90, against 100 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,792 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.

How fast is St. Charles County, MO growing?

Population estimates put St. Charles County at 426,499 people in 2025, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 161,311 households. The median household income in St. Charles County is $104,692 a year, 30% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. St. Charles County scores 63 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #465 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Charles 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 St. Charles County

Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Charles 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 St. Charles 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.