Child care · County · Nebraska
Child care centers and preschools in Dakota County, NE
How Dakota County, NE compares with other counties and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,495 of 1,611 scored counties
#15 of 18 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 9
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $2.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $349 a household
- Spending per listing
- $289K
- 71% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.1
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,687
- +0.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Dakota 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 Dakota 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
Dakota County scores 20 (low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,495 of 1,611 scored counties and #15 of 18 scored counties in Nebraska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 9 child care centers and preschools in Dakota County. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 12.1 for every 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $349 per household (40% below the U.S. average), households in Dakota County spend about $2.6M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 9 child care centers and preschools, that is $289K per center, 71% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Dakota County in 2023. That is one for every 1,492 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dakota County grew 0.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Dakota County compares
The same measures for Nebraska 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 | Dakota County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.1 | 7.4 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $289K | $566K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,492 | 1,080 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $349 | $421 | $581 |
| Median household income | $70,329 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 48
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 64Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 90 chain locations
- 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
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Dakota 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 Dakota County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,687+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 7,459
- Median age
- 34.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 264 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 81
- Median household income
- $70,329+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,843
- Median home value
- $185,700
- Jobs located here
- 15,030
- Daytime population
- 25,103Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Dakota County marked.
Top counties in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cass County, NE | 51 | 7 | 6.5 | $755K | +3.9% | #803 of 1,611 |
| 2Hall County, NE | 46 | 14 | 5.7 | $644K | +1.4% | #942 of 1,611 |
| 3Lancaster County, NE | 41 | 74 | 5.5 | $737K | +3.4% | #1,066 of 1,611 |
| 4Gage County, NE | 41 | 5 | 5.4 | $654K | +0.2% | #1,073 of 1,611 |
| 5Sarpy County, NE | 41 | 69 | 9.3 | $583K | +9.0% | #1,083 of 1,611 |
| 6Saunders County, NE | 40 | 7 | 7.9 | $599K | +6.0% | #1,116 of 1,611 |
| 7Washington County, NE | 37 | 10 | 11.9 | $425K | +1.8% | #1,174 of 1,611 |
| 8Platte County, NE | 36 | 10 | 7.3 | $495K | +3.9% | #1,199 of 1,611 |
| 9Buffalo County, NE | 35 | 10 | 5.0 | $788K | +1.9% | #1,207 of 1,611 |
| 10Douglas County, NE | 35 | 195 | 8.2 | $573K | +3.6% | #1,224 of 1,611 |
| 15Dakota County, NE | 20 | 9 | 12.1 | $289K | +0.7% | #1,495 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Dakota 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 preschools20
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Dakota County, NE?
Dakota County has 9 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts list 64 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dakota County, NE spend on child care and other personal services?
About $2.6M a year, or $349 per household. That is 40% below the U.S. average (an index of 60, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $289K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,459 households in Dakota County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dakota County, NE compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Dakota County has 12.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $289K, 71% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Dakota County would have about 3, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,492 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Dakota County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Dakota County at 21,687 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,459 households. The median household income in Dakota County is $70,329 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.7% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Dakota County scores 20 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,495 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dakota 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 Dakota County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dakota 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 Dakota 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.