Child care · County · Montana
Child care centers and preschools in Lake County, MT
The child care centers and preschools in Lake County, MT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,086 of 1,611 scored counties
#10 of 12 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 14
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $7.1M
- On child care and other personal services · $563 a household
- Spending per listing
- $506K
- 49% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.1
- 91% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,392
- +6.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake County spend about $7.1M a year on child care and other personal services, or $563 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That works out to $506K per center, 49% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 14 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Lake County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 11.1 per 10,000 households, 91% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Lake County classed as child care services. That is one for every 1,143 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 35 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Lake County grew 6.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Lake County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,086 of 1,611 scored counties and #10 of 12 scored counties in Montana.
How Lake 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 | Lake County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.1 | 7.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $506K | $807K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,143 | 940 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.9% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $563 | $608 | $581 |
| Median household income | $63,360 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 46
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 35Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 140 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The 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 Lake 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,392+6.9% since 2020
- Households
- 12,576
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 1,491 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $63,360+29.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,243
- Median home value
- $421,800
- Jobs located here
- 9,693
- Daytime population
- 30,848Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 |
Other business types in Lake 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 preschools41
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Lake County, MT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 14 child care centers and preschools in Lake County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 35 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lake County, MT spend on child care and other personal services?
About $7.1M a year, or $563 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $506K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,576 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, MT compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Lake 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 $506K, 49% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Lake County would have about 7, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,143 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 33,392 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,576 households. Median household income in Lake County is $63,360, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.8%, 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. Lake County scores 41 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,086 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.