Groundwork

Child care · County · North Carolina

Child care centers and preschools in Cumberland County, NC

How Cumberland County, NC 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 22 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,454 of 1,611 scored counties
#63 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
93
4 chain locations (4%)
Official establishments
105
+2.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$47.6M
On child care and other personal services · $367 a household
Spending per listing
$512K
49% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.2
24% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
338,473
+0.4% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Cumberland County scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,454 of 1,611 scored counties and #63 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Cumberland County spend about $47.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $367 per household, 37% below the U.S. average. Spread across 93 child care centers and preschools, that is $512K per center, 49% below the U.S. figure of $1M.

There are 93 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Cumberland County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 4% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 7.2 per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.

Official counts show 105 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Cumberland County in 2023, up 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,236 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $389K has gone to businesses classed as child care services in Cumberland County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cumberland County grew 0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Cumberland County compares

The same measures for North Carolina 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 Cumberland County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureCumberland CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.25.55.8
Spending per listing$512K$844K$1M
Households per official establishment1,2361,6391,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+2.9%+2.5%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.4%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$367$463$581
Median household income$61,291$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score2253

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
102 → 105+2.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,134
Annual payroll, 2023
$28.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
563Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
934 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
48The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$389K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
338,473+0.4% since 2020
Households
129,758
Median age
34.4
Homes lived in by their owners
55%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
653 sq. mi.
People per square mile
519
Median household income
$61,291+30.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$80,209
Median home value
$199,200
Jobs located here
116,297
Daytime population
342,826Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cumberland 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 Cumberland 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 North Carolina

Every North Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Cumberland County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for child care centers and preschools by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Brunswick County, NC89121.7$2.6M+26.5%#18 of 1,611
2Davie County, NC8163.5$1.4M+6.9%#72 of 1,611
3Macon County, NC7663.3$1.2M+5.8%#145 of 1,611
4Union County, NC76475.6$1.1M+11.7%#147 of 1,611
5Lincoln County, NC75143.8$1.3M+13.2%#156 of 1,611
6Henderson County, NC74193.7$1.1M+5.0%#180 of 1,611
7Forsyth County, NC73573.6$1.2M+5.0%#193 of 1,611
8Yadkin County, NC7153.3$1.1M+2.9%#236 of 1,611
9Iredell County, NC71435.6$895K+12.9%#247 of 1,611
10Burke County, NC6992.5$1.4M+1.6%#277 of 1,611
63Cumberland County, NC22937.2$512K+0.4%#1,454 of 1,611

Other business types in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County, NC?

As of September 2026, map listings count 93 child care centers and preschools in Cumberland County. 4 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 105 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 2.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 563 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $47.6M a year, or $367 per household. That is 37% below the U.S. average (an index of 63, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 93 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $512K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,758 households in Cumberland County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Cumberland County has 7.2 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $512K, 49% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Cumberland County would have about 48, against 93 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,236 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Cumberland County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Cumberland County at 338,473 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 129,758 households. Median household income in Cumberland County is $61,291, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.8%, 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. Cumberland County scores 22 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,454 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cumberland 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 Cumberland 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.