Child care · County · Missouri
Child care centers and preschools in St. Louis city, MO
The child care centers and preschools in St. Louis city, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 19 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,497 of 1,611 scored counties
#43 of 55 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 88
- 1 chain location (1%)
- Official establishments
- 106
- +1.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $51.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $357 a household
- Spending per listing
- $587K
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 278,144
- −7.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in St. Louis city
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. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city is 19 (low), #1,497 of 1,611 scored counties and #43 of 55 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 88 child care centers and preschools in St. Louis city. One of them (1%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.1, 5% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in St. Louis city comes to about $51.7M a year: $357 per household, 39% below the U.S. average. That works out to $587K per center, 41% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in St. Louis city was 106 in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,367 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in St. Louis city. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Louis city declined 7.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How St. Louis city 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 | St. Louis city | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $587K | $679K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,367 | 1,714 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.0% | −2.2% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.4% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $357 | $399 | $581 |
| Median household income | $56,160 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 19 | 29 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 105 → 106+1.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,411
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $48.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 507Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 881 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 52The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in St. Louis city, 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. Louis city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 278,144−7.4% since 2020
- Households
- 144,891
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 62 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,675
- Median household income
- $56,160+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,764
- Median home value
- $197,500
- Jobs located here
- 229,379
- Daytime population
- 378,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Louis city?
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. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city 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 |
| 43St. Louis city, MO | 19 | 88 | 6.1 | $587K | −7.4% | #1,497 of 1,611 |
Other business types in St. Louis city
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 preschools19
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in St. Louis city, MO?
St. Louis city has 88 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (1%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 106 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 507 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in St. Louis city, MO spend on child care and other personal services?
About $51.7M a year, or $357 per household. That is 39% below the U.S. average (an index of 61, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 88 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $587K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 144,891 households in St. Louis city and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Louis city, MO compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
St. Louis city has 6.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $587K, 41% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, St. Louis city would have about 52, against 88 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,367 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Louis city, MO growing?
Population estimates put St. Louis city at 278,144 people in 2025, down 7.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 144,891 households. The median household income in St. Louis city is $56,160 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. Louis city scores 19 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,497 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. Louis city. 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. Louis city
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis city?
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. Louis city. 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.