Market rankings · Montana
Child care centers and preschools in Montana
Markets across Montana ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 346
- 15 chain locations (4%)
- Official establishments
- 488
- +5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $279.2M
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.5
- 29% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $807K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #35 of 51
- Market score 39 · Lower middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Montana by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 346 child care centers and preschools in Montana. 15 of them (4%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 7.5 per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Montana comes to about $279.2M a year: $608 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. Spread across 346 child care centers and preschools, that is $807K per center, 19% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Montana was 488 in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 940 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $9.5M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Montana.
Among the 50 states and DC, Montana ranks #35 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle). Of the 5 scored metro areas in or partly in Montana, the Bozeman metro area scores highest (49). Of the 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Montana, the Kalispell area scores highest (60).
Every market in Montana for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Montana, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bozeman, MT | 49 | 48 | 9.4 | $848K | +7.7% | #201 of 387 |
| 2Missoula, MT | 44 | 41 | 7.5 | $843K | +4.7% | #240 of 387 |
| 3Billings, MT | 43 | 63 | 8.0 | $805K | +4.8% | #250 of 387 |
| 4Helena, MT | 43 | 37 | 9.5 | $695K | +7.7% | #251 of 387 |
| 5Great Falls, MT | 36 | 23 | 6.5 | $862K | +0.7% | #286 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kalispell, MT | 60 | 33 | 7.5 | $834K | +10.1% | #151 of 454 |
| 2Butte-Silver Bow, MT | 40 | 13 | 8.4 | $573K | +2.6% | #317 of 454 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Park County, MT | 79 | 5 | 6.0 | $1M | +5.7% | #106 of 1,611 |
| 2Gallatin County, MT | 55 | 48 | 9.4 | $848K | +7.7% | #692 of 1,611 |
| 3Flathead County, MT | 54 | 33 | 7.5 | $834K | +10.1% | #726 of 1,611 |
| 4Ravalli County, MT | 53 | 15 | 8.0 | $693K | +9.4% | #758 of 1,611 |
| 5Yellowstone County, MT | 50 | 55 | 7.9 | $816K | +4.5% | #827 of 1,611 |
| 6Missoula County, MT | 49 | 41 | 7.8 | $817K | +4.4% | #848 of 1,611 |
| 7Carbon County, MT | 47 | 5 | 10.7 | $608K | +9.1% | #912 of 1,611 |
| 8Lewis and Clark County, MT | 45 | 34 | 10.9 | $588K | +5.8% | #967 of 1,611 |
| 9Cascade County, MT | 43 | 23 | 6.5 | $862K | +0.7% | #1,002 of 1,611 |
| 10Lake County, MT | 41 | 14 | 11.1 | $506K | +6.9% | #1,086 of 1,611 |
| 11Silver Bow County, MT | 32 | 13 | 8.4 | $573K | +2.6% | #1,299 of 1,611 |
| 12Hill County, MT | 22 | 6 | 9.7 | $474K | −0.5% | #1,457 of 1,611 |
| Lincoln County, MT | Not scored | 4 | 4.4 | $951K | +13.1% | |
| Glacier County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 2.3 | $2M | −2.0% | |
| Sanders County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +12.9% | |
| Big Horn County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 2.6 | $1.6M | −2.5% | |
| Jefferson County, MT | Not scored | 2 | 4.0 | $2M | +9.8% | |
| Custer County, MT | Not scored | 4 | 7.9 | $678K | +1.5% | |
| Fergus County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 1.9 | $2.5M | +3.1% | |
| Richland County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 2.3 | $2.9M | −1.3% | |
| Roosevelt County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −5.2% | |
| Beaverhead County, MT | Not scored | 6 | 14.3 | $355K | +7.1% | |
| Deer Lodge County, MT | Not scored | 4 | 8.9 | $521K | +3.0% | |
| Madison County, MT | Not scored | 6 | 16.0 | $355K | +15.8% | |
| Stillwater County, MT | Not scored | 3 | 7.9 | $916K | +5.0% |
Show all 56 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, MT | Not scored | 4 | 11.1 | $495K | −2.6% | |
| Rosebud County, MT | Not scored | 2 | 6.5 | $788K | −0.7% | |
| Broadwater County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 3.5 | $1.8M | +23.8% | |
| Valley County, MT | Not scored | 4 | 13.6 | $373K | −2.4% | |
| Powell County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +3.1% | |
| Blaine County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 4.4 | $1.2M | −2.1% | |
| Teton County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +3.9% | |
| Pondera County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 4.4 | $1M | +3.2% | |
| Chouteau County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.8% | |
| Musselshell County, MT | Not scored | 2 | 9.3 | $515K | +17.6% | |
| Toole County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 5.4 | $943K | +4.9% | |
| Mineral County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +13.5% | |
| Phillips County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.1% | |
| Sweet Grass County, MT | Not scored | 2 | 12.9 | $435K | +2.4% | |
| Sheridan County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.9% | |
| Granite County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +10.6% | |
| Fallon County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.3% | |
| Judith Basin County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +6.8% | |
| Wheatland County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 11.3 | $437K | +1.2% | |
| Meagher County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +11.2% | |
| Liberty County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +0.1% | |
| Powder River County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 14.1 | $398K | +5.1% | |
| McCone County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.6% | |
| Daniels County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.3% | |
| Carter County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.6% | |
| Prairie County, MT | Not scored | 1 | 18.3 | $263K | +1.7% | |
| Wibaux County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −5.4% | |
| Garfield County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.9% | |
| Golden Valley County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +2.7% | |
| Treasure County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.0% | |
| Petroleum County, MT | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +9.2% |
Markets with fewer than 5 child care centers and preschools on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Montana?
Montana has 346 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 488 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,430 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Montana spend on child care and other personal services?
About $279.2M a year, or $608 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 346 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $807K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 458,859 households in Montana and national spending patterns by income.
How does Montana compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Montana has 7.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $807K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Montana would have about 279, against 346 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 940 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Montana has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 5 scored metro areas in or partly in Montana, the Bozeman metro area scores highest, at 49 (lower middle). Among 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Montana, the Kalispell area scores highest, at 60 (upper middle). Among 12 scored counties in Montana, Park County scores highest, at 79 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Montana scores 39 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #35 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Montana. 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.
Child care and preschools in other states
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Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in Montana
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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.