Child care · County · Nebraska
Child care centers and preschools in Lancaster County, NE
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Lancaster County, NE, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,066 of 1,611 scored counties
#3 of 18 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 74
- 14 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 102
- −4.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $54.5M
- On child care and other personal services · $407 a household
- Spending per listing
- $737K
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 334,049
- +3.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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
At $407 per household (30% below the U.S. average), households in Lancaster County spend about $54.5M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $737K of household spending for each center on map listings, 26% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 74 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Lancaster County as of September 2026. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 19%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 5.5 per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 102 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Lancaster County in 2023, down 4.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,315 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 739 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Lancaster County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lancaster County grew 3.4%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Lancaster County scores 41 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,066 of 1,611 scored counties and #3 of 18 scored counties in Nebraska.
How Lancaster 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 | Lancaster County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.5 | 7.4 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $737K | $566K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,315 | 1,080 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.7% | +5.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $407 | $421 | $581 |
| Median household income | $74,793 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 107 → 102−4.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,710
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $40.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 739Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7414 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 54The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 334,049+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 134,126
- Median age
- 36.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 838 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 390
- Median household income
- $74,793+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,420
- Median home value
- $275,200
- Jobs located here
- 180,543
- Daytime population
- 346,989Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 |
Other business types in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County, NE?
As of September 2026, map listings count 74 child care centers and preschools in Lancaster County. 14 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 102 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 4.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 739 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lancaster County, NE spend on child care and other personal services?
About $54.5M a year, or $407 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 74 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $737K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 134,126 households in Lancaster County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lancaster County, NE compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Lancaster County has 5.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $737K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Lancaster County would have about 54, against 74 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,315 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Lancaster County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Lancaster County at 334,049 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 134,126 households. Median household income in Lancaster County is $74,793, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.6%, 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. Lancaster County scores 41 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,066 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.