Child care · County · New Hampshire
Child care centers and preschools in Merrimack County, NH
The child care centers and preschools in Merrimack County, NH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #900 of 1,611 scored counties
#9 of 9 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 51
- 2 chain locations (4%)
- Official establishments
- 62
- −4.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $40.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $666 a household
- Spending per listing
- $796K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.4
- 45% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 158,078
- +2.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack County spend about $40.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $666 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That works out to $796K per center, 21% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Merrimack County has 51 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 4%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 8.4 for every 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Merrimack County was 62 in 2023, down 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 982 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 109 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $652K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Merrimack County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Merrimack County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Merrimack County is 47 (lower middle), #900 of 1,611 scored counties and #9 of 9 scored counties in New Hampshire.
How Merrimack County compares
The same measures for New Hampshire 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 | Merrimack County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.4 | 6.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $796K | $1.1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 982 | 1,243 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.6% | −6.7% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $666 | $711 | $581 |
| Median household income | $97,004 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 65 → 62−4.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 648
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 109Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 512 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 41The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $652K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 158,078+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 60,901
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 933 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 167
- Median household income
- $97,004+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,673
- Median home value
- $367,600
- Jobs located here
- 83,058
- Daytime population
- 159,180Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 New Hampshire
Every New Hampshire market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Hampshire for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in New Hampshire, with Merrimack County marked.
Top counties in New Hampshire
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hillsborough County, NH | 66 | 99 | 5.9 | $1.3M | +2.5% | #356 of 1,611 |
| 2Rockingham County, NH | 65 | 90 | 7.1 | $1.2M | +3.0% | #391 of 1,611 |
| 3Belknap County, NH | 64 | 9 | 3.4 | $1.9M | +2.1% | #414 of 1,611 |
| 4Strafford County, NH | 63 | 32 | 6.1 | $1.1M | +3.0% | #453 of 1,611 |
| 5Carroll County, NH | 60 | 13 | 6.0 | $1M | +5.0% | #538 of 1,611 |
| 6Grafton County, NH | 59 | 22 | 5.9 | $1.1M | +2.2% | #567 of 1,611 |
| 7Sullivan County, NH | 55 | 9 | 5.4 | $1M | +2.1% | #679 of 1,611 |
| 8Cheshire County, NH | 51 | 19 | 6.2 | $922K | +2.3% | #795 of 1,611 |
| 9Merrimack County, NH | 47 | 51 | 8.4 | $796K | +2.6% | #900 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Merrimack 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 preschools47
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Merrimack County, NH?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 51 child care centers and preschools in Merrimack County. 2 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 62 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 4.6% from 2019. Another 109 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Merrimack County, NH spend on child care and other personal services?
About $40.6M a year, or $666 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 51 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $796K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 60,901 households in Merrimack County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merrimack County, NH compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Merrimack County has 8.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $796K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Merrimack County would have about 41, against 51 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 982 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Merrimack County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Merrimack County at 158,078 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,901 households. Median household income in Merrimack County is $97,004, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Merrimack County scores 47 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #900 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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.