Child care · County · New York
Child care centers and preschools in Tompkins County, NY
The child care centers and preschools in Tompkins County, NY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #914 of 1,611 scored counties
#46 of 53 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 24
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- −8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $25.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $585 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 104,047
- −1.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 24 child care centers and preschools in Tompkins County. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.5, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Tompkins County spend about $25.3M a year on child care and other personal services, or $585 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 24 child care centers and preschools, that is $1.1M per center, 5% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Tompkins County was 46 in 2023, down 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 941 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 99 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $37K has gone to businesses classed as child care services in Tompkins County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Tompkins County declined 1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Tompkins County is 46 (lower middle), #914 of 1,611 scored counties and #46 of 53 scored counties in New York.
How Tompkins 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 | Tompkins County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.5 | 5.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1.2M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 941 | 1,150 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.0% | +6.0% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $585 | $684 | $581 |
| Median household income | $74,024 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 50 → 46−8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 573
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 99Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 240 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $37K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Tompkins 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 Tompkins County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 104,047−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 43,263
- Median age
- 36.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 475 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 220
- Median household income
- $74,024+22.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,718
- Median home value
- $290,900
- Jobs located here
- 46,926
- Daytime population
- 111,478Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 |
| 46Tompkins County, NY | 46 | 24 | 5.5 | $1.1M | −1.4% | #914 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Tompkins 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 preschools46
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Tompkins County, NY?
There are 24 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Tompkins County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 8.0% from 2019. Another 99 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Tompkins County, NY spend on child care and other personal services?
About $25.3M a year, or $585 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,263 households in Tompkins County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Tompkins County, NY compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Tompkins County has 5.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.1M, 5% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Tompkins County would have about 25, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 941 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Tompkins County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Tompkins County at 104,047 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 43,263 households. The median household income in Tompkins County is $74,024 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.9% 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. Tompkins County scores 46 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #914 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Tompkins 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 Tompkins County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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.