Groundwork

Child care · County · New York

Child care centers and preschools in Onondaga County, NY

How Onondaga 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 58 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #595 of 1,611 scored counties
#30 of 53 scored counties in New York

Listings
96
6 chain locations (6%)
Official establishments
114
+1.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$112.3M
On child care and other personal services · $568 a household
Spending per listing
$1.2M
17% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.9
16% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
466,584
−1.9% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Onondaga 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 Onondaga County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 Onondaga County comes to about $112.3M a year: $568 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.2M of household spending for each center on map listings, 17% above the U.S. figure of $1M.

There are 96 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Onondaga County as of September 2026. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 6%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 4.9 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.

Official counts show 114 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Onondaga County in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,735 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 833 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Onondaga County.

Population estimates put the population change in Onondaga County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Onondaga County scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #595 of 1,611 scored counties and #30 of 53 scored counties in New York.

How Onondaga 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.

Child care and preschools in Onondaga County, NY compared with New York and the U.S.
MeasureOnondaga CountyNew YorkU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.95.75.8
Spending per listing$1.2M$1.2M$1M
Households per official establishment1,7351,1501,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.8%+6.0%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.9%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$568$684$581
Median household income$76,945$85,974$80,734
Groundwork market score5850

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
112 → 114+1.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,546
Annual payroll, 2023
$42.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
833Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
966 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
4
Amount
$2.2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Onondaga 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 Onondaga County

Population, 2025 estimate
466,584−1.9% since 2020
Households
197,760
Median age
40.9
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.5
Land area
778 sq. mi.
People per square mile
605
Median household income
$76,945+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$102,088
Median home value
$200,200
Jobs located here
255,873
Daytime population
512,646Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Onondaga 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 Onondaga County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Child 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 Onondaga County marked.

Top counties in New York

Counties in New York ranked for child care centers and preschools by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sullivan County, NY84113.5$1.6M+2.7%#46 of 1,611
2Ontario County, NY77214.3$1.3M+0.6%#129 of 1,611
3Cayuga County, NY7261.9$2.5M−2.3%#206 of 1,611
4Cortland County, NY7163.2$1.5M−1.9%#229 of 1,611
5Oswego County, NY70163.4$1.4M+1.0%#252 of 1,611
6Niagara County, NY69343.7$1.3M−1.5%#278 of 1,611
7Otsego County, NY67146.0$789K+3.8%#349 of 1,611
8Herkimer County, NY6672.7$1.7M−1.4%#352 of 1,611
9Columbia County, NY65114.1$1.6M−2.1%#381 of 1,611
10Suffolk County, NY653216.5$1.4M+1.6%#385 of 1,611
30Onondaga County, NY58964.9$1.2M−1.9%#595 of 1,611

Other business types in Onondaga County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many child care centers and preschools are in Onondaga County, NY?

As of September 2026, map listings count 96 child care centers and preschools in Onondaga County. 6 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 114 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. Another 833 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Onondaga County, NY spend on child care and other personal services?

About $112.3M a year, or $568 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 96 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 197,760 households in Onondaga County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Onondaga County, NY compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?

Onondaga County has 4.9 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.2M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Onondaga County would have about 112, against 96 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,735 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Onondaga County, NY growing?

Population estimates put Onondaga County at 466,584 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 197,760 households. Median household income in Onondaga County is $76,945, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, 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. Onondaga County scores 58 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #595 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Onondaga 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 Onondaga County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Onondaga 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 Onondaga 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.