Child care · County · Montana
Child care centers and preschools in Dawson County, MT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Dawson County, MT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score
Not scored
Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
- Listings
- 4
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $2M
- On child care and other personal services · $548 a household
- Spending per listing
- $495K
- 51% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.1
- 91% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 8,692
- −2.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Dawson 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County spend about $2M a year on child care and other personal services, or $548 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $495K of household spending for each center on map listings, 51% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 4 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Dawson County as of September 2026. That is 11.1 per 10,000 households, 91% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Dawson County in 2023. That is one for every 904 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Dawson County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How Dawson County compares
The same measures for Montana 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 | Dawson County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.1 | 7.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $495K | $807K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 904 | 940 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.9% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $548 | $608 | $581 |
| Median household income | $71,334 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | Not scored | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 27
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $565K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 40 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 8,692−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 3,615
- Median age
- 43.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 2,372 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4
- Median household income
- $71,334
- Average household income
- $87,555
- Median home value
- $185,300
- Jobs located here
- 3,735
- Daytime population
- 8,445Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dawson 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 Dawson 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 Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Montana for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Montana, with Dawson County marked.
Top counties in Montana
| 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 |
| Dawson County, MT | Not scored | 4 | 11.1 | $495K | −2.6% |
Other business types in Dawson County
None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
- Child care and preschools
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Dawson County, MT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4 child care centers and preschools in Dawson County. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dawson County, MT spend on child care and other personal services?
About $2M a year, or $548 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $495K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,615 households in Dawson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dawson County, MT compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Dawson County has 11.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 91% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $495K, 51% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Dawson County would have about 2, against 4 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 904 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Dawson County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Dawson County at 8,692 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 3,615 households. Median household income in Dawson County is $71,334, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dawson 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 Dawson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dawson 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 Dawson 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.