Child care · County · Montana
Child care centers and preschools in Missoula County, MT
The child care centers and preschools in Missoula County, MT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #848 of 1,611 scored counties
#6 of 12 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 41
- 2 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 71
- −2.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $33.5M
- On child care and other personal services · $636 a household
- Spending per listing
- $817K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.8
- 34% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 123,513
- +4.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Missoula 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 Missoula 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 Missoula County spend about $33.5M a year on child care and other personal services, or $636 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That is about $817K of household spending for each center on map listings, 18% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Missoula County has 41 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 5% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 7.8 for every 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 71 businesses with payroll in Missoula County classed as child care services, down 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 742 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 126 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Missoula County grew 4.4% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Missoula County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #848 of 1,611 scored counties and #6 of 12 scored counties in Montana.
How Missoula 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 | Missoula County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.8 | 7.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $817K | $807K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 742 | 940 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.7% | +5.9% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.4% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $636 | $608 | $581 |
| Median household income | $75,598 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 73 → 71−2.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 411
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 126Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 412 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 33The 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 Missoula 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 Missoula County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 123,513+4.4% since 2020
- Households
- 52,679
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,593 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 47
- Median household income
- $75,598+39.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,306
- Median home value
- $472,100
- Jobs located here
- 66,258
- Daytime population
- 128,477Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Missoula 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 Missoula 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 Missoula 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 Missoula 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 preschools49
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Missoula County, MT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 41 child care centers and preschools in Missoula County. 2 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 126 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Missoula County, MT spend on child care and other personal services?
About $33.5M a year, or $636 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 41 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $817K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 52,679 households in Missoula County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Missoula County, MT compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Missoula County has 7.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $817K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Missoula County would have about 33, against 41 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 742 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Missoula County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Missoula County at 123,513 people in 2025, up 4.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,679 households. Median household income in Missoula County is $75,598, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.8%, 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. Missoula County scores 49 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #848 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Missoula 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 Missoula County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Missoula 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 Missoula 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.