Child care · Small-town market · North Carolina
Child care centers and preschools in the Sanford, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in the Sanford, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #287 of 454 scored small-town markets
#14 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 18
- 1 chain location (6%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $9.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $370 a household
- Spending per listing
- $517K
- 48% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.2
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,258
- +10.8% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Sanford area
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 the Sanford area. 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 the Sanford area spend about $9.3M a year on child care and other personal services, or $370 per household, 36% below the U.S. average. That works out to $517K per center, 48% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 18 child care centers and preschools on map listings in the Sanford area as of September 2026. One of them (6%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. That is 7.2 per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 18 businesses with payroll in the Sanford area classed as child care services. That is one for every 1,397 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 58 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Sanford area grew 10.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Sanford area scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #287 of 454 scored small-town markets and #14 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Sanford area 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.
| Measure | Sanford area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.2 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $517K | $844K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,397 | 1,639 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $370 | $463 | $581 |
| Median household income | $65,387 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18
- Employees, 2023
- 118
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 58Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 181 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in the Sanford area, 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 the Sanford area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,258+10.8% since 2020
- Households
- 25,145
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 255 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 258
- Median household income
- $65,387+30.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,746
- Median home value
- $240,200
- Jobs located here
- 27,081
- Daytime population
- 64,849Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sanford area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Sanford area. 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Sanford area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kill Devil Hills, NC | 75 | 11 | 6.5 | $832K | +3.3% | #47 of 454 |
| 2Boone, NC | 73 | 8 | 3.8 | $1M | +0.6% | #54 of 454 |
| 3Waynesville, NC | 71 | 6 | 2.2 | $1.7M | +1.9% | #64 of 454 |
| 4Marion, NC | 68 | 6 | 3.2 | $1M | +1.5% | #87 of 454 |
| 5Morehead City, NC | 68 | 17 | 5.3 | $854K | +4.1% | #92 of 454 |
| 6New Bern, NC | 61 | 23 | 4.4 | $855K | +3.6% | #138 of 454 |
| 7Anderson Creek, NC | 60 | 24 | 4.8 | $853K | +12.3% | #150 of 454 |
| 8Brevard, NC | 53 | 10 | 6.9 | $593K | +2.9% | #206 of 454 |
| 9North Wilkesboro, NC | 52 | 8 | 3.0 | $976K | +0.6% | #209 of 454 |
| 10Albemarle, NC | 52 | 12 | 4.8 | $779K | +9.8% | #214 of 454 |
| 14Sanford, NC | 44 | 18 | 7.2 | $517K | +10.8% | #287 of 454 |
Other business types in the Sanford area
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 preschools44
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in the Sanford, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 18 child care centers and preschools in the Sanford area. One of them (6%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Another 58 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Sanford, NC area spend on child care and other personal services?
About $9.3M a year, or $370 per household. That is 36% below the U.S. average (an index of 64, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $517K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,145 households in the Sanford area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sanford, NC area compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Sanford area 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 $517K, 48% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, the Sanford area would have about 9, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,397 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sanford, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Sanford area at 70,258 people in 2025, up 10.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,145 households. Median household income in the Sanford area is $65,387, 19% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Sanford area scores 44 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #287 of 454 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sanford area. 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 the Sanford area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sanford area?
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 the Sanford area. 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.