Market rankings · New Mexico
Child care centers and preschools in New Mexico
Every metro area, small-town market and county in New Mexico, ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 376
- 38 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 449
- +11.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $478.5M
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.5
- 22% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 27% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #11 of 51
- Market score 64 · Upper middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in New Mexico by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
New Mexico has 376 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 38 are chain locations, or 10%, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.5, 22% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in New Mexico spend about $478.5M a year on child care and other personal services, or $571 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each center on map listings, 27% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 449 businesses with payroll in New Mexico classed as child care services, up 11.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,865 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.3M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in New Mexico.
Among the 50 states and DC, New Mexico ranks #11 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle). Of the 4 scored metro areas in or partly in New Mexico, the Santa Fe metro area scores highest (83). Of the 7 scored small-town markets in or partly in New Mexico, the Carlsbad-Artesia area scores highest (77).
Every market in New Mexico for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in New Mexico, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Santa Fe, NM | 83 | 30 | 4.2 | $1.7M | +1.2% | #14 of 387 |
| 2Albuquerque, NM | 60 | 195 | 5.2 | $1.2M | +0.8% | #117 of 387 |
| 3Farmington, NM | 60 | 20 | 4.8 | $1.1M | −0.9% | #118 of 387 |
| 4Las Cruces, NM | 56 | 42 | 4.9 | $1M | +4.1% | #155 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Carlsbad-Artesia, NM | 77 | 9 | 3.8 | $1.7M | +0.3% | #31 of 454 |
| 2Alamogordo, NM | 77 | 10 | 4.1 | $1.2M | +3.7% | #33 of 454 |
| 3Taos, NM | 72 | 6 | 3.9 | $1.4M | +0.3% | #59 of 454 |
| 4Hobbs, NM | 63 | 14 | 5.7 | $1.1M | +0.2% | #119 of 454 |
| 5Roswell, NM | 62 | 8 | 3.4 | $1.4M | −2.7% | #125 of 454 |
| 6Española, NM | 57 | 6 | 3.8 | $1.3M | −1.0% | #172 of 454 |
| 7Clovis, NM | 46 | 12 | 4.6 | $1M | −3.3% | #264 of 454 |
| Gallup, NM | Not scored | 2 | 0.9 | $4.9M | −6.1% | |
| Las Vegas, NM | Not scored | 2 | 1.4 | $3.1M | −3.2% | |
| Silver City, NM | Not scored | 4 | 3.5 | $1.2M | −3.4% | |
| Deming, NM | Not scored | 1 | 1.1 | $3.2M | −0.2% | |
| Ruidoso, NM | Not scored | 2 | 2.0 | $2.5M | −2.3% | |
| Los Alamos, NM | Not scored | 2 | 2.4 | $4.8M | 0.0% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sandoval County, NM | 88 | 27 | 4.7 | $1.5M | +6.9% | #22 of 1,611 |
| 2Santa Fe County, NM | 85 | 30 | 4.2 | $1.7M | +1.2% | #37 of 1,611 |
| 3Eddy County, NM | 75 | 9 | 3.8 | $1.7M | +0.3% | #152 of 1,611 |
| 4Valencia County, NM | 74 | 12 | 4.4 | $1.1M | +7.2% | #178 of 1,611 |
| 5Otero County, NM | 72 | 10 | 4.1 | $1.2M | +3.7% | #216 of 1,611 |
| 6Taos County, NM | 69 | 6 | 3.9 | $1.4M | +0.3% | #276 of 1,611 |
| 7San Juan County, NM | 62 | 20 | 4.8 | $1.1M | −0.9% | #484 of 1,611 |
| 8Doña Ana County, NM | 60 | 42 | 4.9 | $1M | +4.1% | #540 of 1,611 |
| 9Chaves County, NM | 59 | 8 | 3.4 | $1.4M | −2.7% | #564 of 1,611 |
| 10Bernalillo County, NM | 57 | 151 | 5.3 | $1.1M | −1.4% | #624 of 1,611 |
| 11Lea County, NM | 57 | 14 | 5.7 | $1.1M | +0.2% | #625 of 1,611 |
| 12Rio Arriba County, NM | 53 | 6 | 3.8 | $1.3M | −1.0% | #736 of 1,611 |
| 13Curry County, NM | 53 | 7 | 3.8 | $1.3M | −3.5% | #738 of 1,611 |
| 14Torrance County, NM | 50 | 5 | 8.3 | $538K | +6.9% | #834 of 1,611 |
| 15Roosevelt County, NM | 22 | 5 | 6.7 | $639K | −2.8% | #1,449 of 1,611 |
| McKinley County, NM | Not scored | 2 | 0.9 | $4.9M | −6.1% | |
| Grant County, NM | Not scored | 4 | 3.5 | $1.2M | −3.4% | |
| San Miguel County, NM | Not scored | 2 | 1.7 | $2.7M | −3.2% | |
| Cibola County, NM | Not scored | 3 | 3.5 | $1.2M | −0.6% | |
| Luna County, NM | Not scored | 1 | 1.1 | $3.2M | −0.2% | |
| Lincoln County, NM | Not scored | 2 | 2.0 | $2.5M | −2.3% | |
| Los Alamos County, NM | Not scored | 2 | 2.4 | $4.8M | 0.0% | |
| Socorro County, NM | Not scored | 1 | 1.9 | $2.2M | −4.3% | |
| Colfax County, NM | Not scored | 2 | 3.7 | $1.2M | −1.4% | |
| Sierra County, NM | Not scored | 1 | 1.8 | $1.8M | −1.4% |
Show all 33 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quay County, NM | Not scored | 1 | 2.3 | $2.1M | −3.0% | |
| Guadalupe County, NM | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.2% | |
| Mora County, NM | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.3% | |
| Hidalgo County, NM | Not scored | 1 | 6.8 | $639K | −5.6% | |
| Union County, NM | Not scored | 1 | 7.0 | $640K | −5.5% | |
| Catron County, NM | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +6.1% | |
| De Baca County, NM | Not scored | 1 | 12.2 | $315K | −2.4% | |
| Harding County, NM | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −5.4% |
Markets with fewer than 5 child care centers and preschools on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in New Mexico?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 376 child care centers and preschools in New Mexico. 38 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 449 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 11.4% from 2019. Another 1,702 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in New Mexico spend on child care and other personal services?
About $478.5M a year, or $571 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 376 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 837,414 households in New Mexico and national spending patterns by income.
How does New Mexico compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
New Mexico has 4.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.3M, 27% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, New Mexico would have about 478, against 376 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,865 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in New Mexico has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 4 scored metro areas in or partly in New Mexico, the Santa Fe metro area scores highest, at 83 (high). Among 7 scored small-town markets in or partly in New Mexico, the Carlsbad-Artesia area scores highest, at 77 (high). Among 15 scored counties in New Mexico, Sandoval County scores highest, at 88 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. New Mexico scores 64 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #11 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Mexico. 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.
Child care and preschools in other states
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Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in New Mexico
Screening a site or an acquisition in New Mexico?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.