Child care · County · New Jersey
Child care centers and preschools in Essex County, NJ
How Essex County, NJ 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #633 of 1,611 scored counties
#18 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 242
- 22 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 265
- +9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $222.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $696 a household
- Spending per listing
- $920K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.6
- 31% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 896,379
- +4.2% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 242 child care centers and preschools in Essex County. 22 of them (9%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 7.6 per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Essex County spend about $222.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $696 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. Spread across 242 child care centers and preschools, that is $920K per center, 8% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 265 businesses with payroll in Essex County classed as child care services, up 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,207 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 2,334 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 17 SBA-backed loans worth $14.1M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Essex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Essex County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #633 of 1,611 scored counties and #18 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Essex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.6 | 6.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $920K | $1.2M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,207 | 1,422 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.1% | +0.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $696 | $785 | $581 |
| Median household income | $80,789 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 243 → 265+9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,729
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $162.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,334Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24222 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 222The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 17
- Amount
- $14.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 896,379+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 319,788
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 126 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6,845
- Median household income
- $80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,554
- Median home value
- $524,100
- Jobs located here
- 362,597
- Daytime population
- 843,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Burlington County, NJ | 81 | 93 | 5.2 | $1.5M | +4.3% | #69 of 1,611 |
| 2Ocean County, NJ | 80 | 93 | 3.8 | $1.7M | +5.6% | #79 of 1,611 |
| 3Sussex County, NJ | 78 | 28 | 4.8 | $1.7M | +2.9% | #109 of 1,611 |
| 4Cape May County, NJ | 78 | 18 | 4.0 | $1.7M | −1.7% | #110 of 1,611 |
| 5Gloucester County, NJ | 76 | 63 | 5.6 | $1.3M | +3.3% | #142 of 1,611 |
| 6Hunterdon County, NJ | 75 | 30 | 5.9 | $1.7M | +2.3% | #153 of 1,611 |
| 7Union County, NJ | 75 | 123 | 6.1 | $1.3M | +5.0% | #158 of 1,611 |
| 8Middlesex County, NJ | 70 | 198 | 6.4 | $1.3M | +2.6% | #257 of 1,611 |
| 9Somerset County, NJ | 69 | 117 | 8.9 | $1.1M | +3.5% | #289 of 1,611 |
| 10Warren County, NJ | 68 | 27 | 5.9 | $1.1M | +3.2% | #310 of 1,611 |
| 18Essex County, NJ | 57 | 242 | 7.6 | $920K | +4.2% | #633 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Essex 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 preschools57
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Essex County, NJ?
Essex County has 242 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 22 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 265 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. Another 2,334 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on child care and other personal services?
About $222.6M a year, or $696 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 242 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $920K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Essex County has 7.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $920K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Essex County would have about 222, against 242 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,207 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 57 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #633 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.