Child care · County · New York
Child care centers and preschools in Suffolk County, NY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Suffolk County, NY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #385 of 1,611 scored counties
#10 of 53 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 321
- 39 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 414
- +2.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $460.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $932 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 43% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.5
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,546,090
- +1.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 321 child care centers and preschools in Suffolk County. 39 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.5, 12% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Suffolk County spend about $460.7M a year on child care and other personal services, or $932 per household, 60% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.4M per center, 43% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Suffolk County was 414 in 2023, up 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,194 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,658 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $7.6M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Suffolk County.
Population estimates show Suffolk County grew 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Suffolk County is 65 (upper middle), #385 of 1,611 scored counties and #10 of 53 scored counties in New York. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Suffolk 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 | Suffolk County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.5 | 5.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.2M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,194 | 1,150 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.7% | +6.0% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $932 | $684 | $581 |
| Median household income | $130,686 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 403 → 414+2.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,564
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $223.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,658Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 32139 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 460The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $7.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,546,090+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 494,405
- Median age
- 42.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 898 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,620
- Median household income
- $130,686+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $167,491
- Median home value
- $578,400
- Jobs located here
- 624,016
- Daytime population
- 1,340,805Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 |
Other business types in Suffolk 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 preschools65
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Suffolk County, NY?
Suffolk County has 321 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 39 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 414 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 2.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,658 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Suffolk County, NY spend on child care and other personal services?
About $460.7M a year, or $932 per household. That is 60% above the U.S. average (an index of 160, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 321 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 494,405 households in Suffolk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Suffolk County, NY compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Suffolk County has 6.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.4M, 43% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Suffolk County would have about 460, against 321 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,194 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Suffolk County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Suffolk County at 1,546,090 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 494,405 households. The median household income in Suffolk County is $130,686 a year, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.4% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Suffolk County scores 65 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #385 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.