Child care · County · New York
Child care centers and preschools in New York County, NY
How New York County, NY 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 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #415 of 1,611 scored counties
#12 of 53 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 386
- 34 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 536
- +0.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $687.5M
- On child care and other personal services · $883 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 78% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,664,862
- −1.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in New York 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 New York 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 New York County spend about $687.5M a year on child care and other personal services, or $883 per household, 52% above the U.S. average. Spread across 386 child care centers and preschools, that is $1.8M per center, 78% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
New York County has 386 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 34 of them (9%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.0 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 536 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in New York County in 2023, up 0.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,452 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 3,438 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $10.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in New York County.
Population estimates put the population change in New York County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. New York County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #415 of 1,611 scored counties and #12 of 53 scored counties in New York.
How New York 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 | New York County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 5.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $1.2M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,452 | 1,150 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.2% | +6.0% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $883 | $684 | $581 |
| Median household income | $103,931 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 535 → 536+0.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,224
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $334.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3,438Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 38634 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 686The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 14
- Amount
- $10.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in New York 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 New York County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,664,862−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 778,281
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 25%
- Vehicles per household
- 0.3
- Land area
- 23 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 71,884
- Median household income
- $103,931+20.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $194,106
- Median home value
- $1,090,500
- Jobs located here
- 2,508,325
- Daytime population
- 3,351,624Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in New York 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 New York 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 New York 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 |
| 12New York County, NY | 64 | 386 | 5.0 | $1.8M | −1.3% | #415 of 1,611 |
Other business types in New York 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 preschools64
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in New York County, NY?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 386 child care centers and preschools in New York County. 34 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 536 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 0.2% from 2019. Another 3,438 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in New York County, NY spend on child care and other personal services?
About $687.5M a year, or $883 per household. That is 52% above the U.S. average (an index of 152, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 386 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 778,281 households in New York County and national spending patterns by income.
How does New York County, NY compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
New York County has 5.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.8M, 78% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, New York County would have about 686, against 386 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,452 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is New York County, NY growing?
Population estimates put New York County at 1,664,862 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 778,281 households. Median household income in New York County is $103,931, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.1%, 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. New York County scores 64 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #415 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New York 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 New York County
Screening a site or an acquisition in New York 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 New York 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.