Child care · County · New York
Child care centers and preschools in Erie County, NY
The child care centers and preschools in Erie County, NY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #501 of 1,611 scored counties
#21 of 53 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 176
- 14 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 237
- −4.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $222.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $544 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.3
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 946,741
- −0.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Erie 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 Erie 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 Erie County spend about $222.9M a year on child care and other personal services, or $544 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each center on map listings, 26% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Erie County has 176 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 14 of them (8%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.3 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 237 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Erie County in 2023, down 4.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,729 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 780 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $4M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Erie County.
Population estimates show Erie County declined 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Erie County is 61 (upper middle), #501 of 1,611 scored counties and #21 of 53 scored counties in New York.
How Erie County compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Erie County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.3 | 5.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.2M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,729 | 1,150 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.4% | +6.0% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $544 | $684 | $581 |
| Median household income | $72,839 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 248 → 237−4.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,377
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $125.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 780Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17614 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 223The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Erie 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 Erie County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 946,741−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 409,665
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 1,043 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 912
- Median household income
- $72,839+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,750
- Median home value
- $233,800
- Jobs located here
- 478,475
- Daytime population
- 994,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Erie 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 Erie 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New York for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in New York, with Erie County marked.
Top counties in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sullivan County, NY | 84 | 11 | 3.5 | $1.6M | +2.7% | #46 of 1,611 |
| 2Ontario County, NY | 77 | 21 | 4.3 | $1.3M | +0.6% | #129 of 1,611 |
| 3Cayuga County, NY | 72 | 6 | 1.9 | $2.5M | −2.3% | #206 of 1,611 |
| 4Cortland County, NY | 71 | 6 | 3.2 | $1.5M | −1.9% | #229 of 1,611 |
| 5Oswego County, NY | 70 | 16 | 3.4 | $1.4M | +1.0% | #252 of 1,611 |
| 6Niagara County, NY | 69 | 34 | 3.7 | $1.3M | −1.5% | #278 of 1,611 |
| 7Otsego County, NY | 67 | 14 | 6.0 | $789K | +3.8% | #349 of 1,611 |
| 8Herkimer County, NY | 66 | 7 | 2.7 | $1.7M | −1.4% | #352 of 1,611 |
| 9Columbia County, NY | 65 | 11 | 4.1 | $1.6M | −2.1% | #381 of 1,611 |
| 10Suffolk County, NY | 65 | 321 | 6.5 | $1.4M | +1.6% | #385 of 1,611 |
| 21Erie County, NY | 61 | 176 | 4.3 | $1.3M | −0.6% | #501 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Erie 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 preschools61
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Erie County, NY?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 176 child care centers and preschools in Erie County. 14 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 237 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 4.4% from 2019. Another 780 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Erie County, NY spend on child care and other personal services?
About $222.9M a year, or $544 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 176 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 409,665 households in Erie County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Erie County, NY compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Erie County has 4.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.3M, 26% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Erie County would have about 223, against 176 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,729 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Erie County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Erie County at 946,741 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 409,665 households. Median household income in Erie County is $72,839, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Erie County scores 61 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #501 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Erie 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 Erie County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Erie 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 Erie 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.