Child care · County · New Jersey
Child care centers and preschools in Mercer County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Mercer County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #664 of 1,611 scored counties
#19 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 127
- 32 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 110
- −7.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $111.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $775 a household
- Spending per listing
- $879K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.8
- 52% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 399,289
- +3.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Mercer County comes to about $111.7M a year: $775 per household, 33% above the U.S. average. That is about $879K of household spending for each center on map listings, 12% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 127 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. 32 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.8, 52% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Mercer County in 2023, down 7.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,310 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 470 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $12M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Mercer County.
Population estimates show Mercer County grew 3.3% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Mercer County scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #664 of 1,611 scored counties and #19 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Mercer 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 | Mercer County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.8 | 6.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $879K | $1.2M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,310 | 1,422 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.6% | +0.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $775 | $785 | $581 |
| Median household income | $100,645 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 119 → 110−7.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,101
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $61.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 470Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12732 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 112The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $12M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 399,289+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 144,114
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 225 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,719
- Median household income
- $100,645+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,372
- Median home value
- $377,700
- Jobs located here
- 262,034
- Daytime population
- 469,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 |
| 19Mercer County, NJ | 56 | 127 | 8.8 | $879K | +3.3% | #664 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Mercer 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 preschools56
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Mercer County, NJ?
As of September 2026, map listings count 127 child care centers and preschools in Mercer County. 32 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 7.6% from 2019. Official counts list 470 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mercer County, NJ spend on child care and other personal services?
About $111.7M a year, or $775 per household. That is 33% above the U.S. average (an index of 133, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 127 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $879K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 144,114 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, NJ compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Mercer County has 8.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 52% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $879K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Mercer County would have about 112, against 127 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,310 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Mercer County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 399,289 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,114 households. Median household income in Mercer County is $100,645, 25% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. Mercer County scores 56 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #664 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.