Child care · County · New Jersey
Child care centers and preschools in Ocean County, NJ
The child care centers and preschools in Ocean County, NJ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 80 out of 100: High
Ranked #79 of 1,611 scored counties
#2 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 93
- 16 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 133
- +8.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $159.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $653 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 71% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.8
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 673,746
- +5.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Ocean 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 Ocean 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
For child care centers and preschools, Ocean County has a Groundwork market score of 80 (high): #79 of 1,611 scored counties and #2 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for child care centers and preschools.
At $653 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Ocean County spend about $159.3M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $1.7M of household spending for each center on map listings, 71% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 93 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Ocean County as of September 2026. 16 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 3.8 for every 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 133 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Ocean County in 2023, up 8.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,833 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $12.2M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Ocean County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ocean County grew 5.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Ocean 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 | Ocean County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.8 | 6.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $1.2M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,833 | 1,422 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.1% | +0.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.6% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $653 | $785 | $581 |
| Median household income | $89,863 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 80 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 123 → 133+8.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,205
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $62.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,224Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9316 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 159The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $12.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Ocean 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 Ocean County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 673,746+5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 243,843
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 628 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,042
- Median household income
- $89,863+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $118,774
- Median home value
- $398,400
- Jobs located here
- 183,196
- Daytime population
- 568,313Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ocean 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 Ocean 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 Ocean 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 |
Other business types in Ocean 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 preschools80
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Ocean County, NJ?
As of September 2026, map listings count 93 child care centers and preschools in Ocean County. 16 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 133 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 8.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,224 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ocean County, NJ spend on child care and other personal services?
About $159.3M a year, or $653 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 93 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 243,843 households in Ocean County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ocean County, NJ compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Ocean County has 3.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.7M, 71% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Ocean County would have about 159, against 93 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,833 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Ocean County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Ocean County at 673,746 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 243,843 households. Median household income in Ocean County is $89,863, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.7%, 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. Ocean County scores 80 for child care centers and preschools (high), #79 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ocean 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 Ocean County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ocean 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 Ocean 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.