Child care · County · Missouri
Child care centers and preschools in Washington County, MO
The child care centers and preschools in Washington County, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,471 of 1,611 scored counties
#39 of 55 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 6
- 1 chain location (17%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $2.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $293 a household
- Spending per listing
- $436K
- 56% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.7
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,810
- +1.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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
Washington County scores 21 (low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,471 of 1,611 scored counties and #39 of 55 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Washington County spend about $2.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $293 per household, 49% below the U.S. average. Spread across 6 child care centers and preschools, that is $436K per center, 56% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 6 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Washington County as of September 2026. One of them (17%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 6.7 for every 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in Washington County classed as child care services. That is one for every 1,487 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as child care services in Washington County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Washington County grew 1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Washington 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 | Washington County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.7 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $436K | $679K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,487 | 1,714 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.2% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $293 | $399 | $581 |
| Median household income | $56,043 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 29 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 41
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $906K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 61 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Washington 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 Washington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,810+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 8,920
- Median age
- 40.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 760 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $56,043+35.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $75,592
- Median home value
- $129,400
- Jobs located here
- 5,111
- Daytime population
- 19,751Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 |
| 39Washington County, MO | 21 | 6 | 6.7 | $436K | +1.6% | #1,471 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Washington 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 preschools21
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Washington County, MO?
As of September 2026, map listings count 6 child care centers and preschools in Washington County. One of them (17%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Washington County, MO spend on child care and other personal services?
About $2.6M a year, or $293 per household. That is 49% below the U.S. average (an index of 51, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $436K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,920 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Washington County, MO compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Washington County has 6.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $436K, 56% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Washington County would have about 3, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,487 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Washington County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Washington County at 23,810 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,920 households. Median household income in Washington County is $56,043, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.1%, 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. Washington County scores 21 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,471 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.