Child care · County · North Carolina
Child care centers and preschools in Union County, NC
How Union 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 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #147 of 1,611 scored counties
#4 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 47
- 10 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 47
- +4.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $53.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $638 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.6
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 267,674
- +11.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Union 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 Union 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
The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Union County is 76 (high), #147 of 1,611 scored counties and #4 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for child care centers and preschools.
As of September 2026, map listings count 47 child care centers and preschools in Union County. Of those, 10 are chain locations, or 21%, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.6, 3% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $638 per household (10% above the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $53.7M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $1.1M of household spending for each center on map listings, 14% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Union County in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,792 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $5.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Union County. Population estimates put the population change in Union County from 2020 to 2025 at +11.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Union 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.
| Measure | Union County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.6 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $844K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,792 | 1,639 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.4% | +2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $638 | $463 | $581 |
| Median household income | $102,900 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 45 → 47+4.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 794
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $23.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 308Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4710 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 54The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $5.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 267,674+11.7% since 2020
- Households
- 84,237
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 633 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 397
- Median household income
- $102,900+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $137,492
- Median home value
- $417,300
- Jobs located here
- 76,151
- Daytime population
- 210,985Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 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 Union County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brunswick County, NC | 89 | 12 | 1.7 | $2.6M | +26.5% | #18 of 1,611 |
| 2Davie County, NC | 81 | 6 | 3.5 | $1.4M | +6.9% | #72 of 1,611 |
| 3Macon County, NC | 76 | 6 | 3.3 | $1.2M | +5.8% | #145 of 1,611 |
| 4Union County, NC | 76 | 47 | 5.6 | $1.1M | +11.7% | #147 of 1,611 |
| 5Lincoln County, NC | 75 | 14 | 3.8 | $1.3M | +13.2% | #156 of 1,611 |
| 6Henderson County, NC | 74 | 19 | 3.7 | $1.1M | +5.0% | #180 of 1,611 |
| 7Forsyth County, NC | 73 | 57 | 3.6 | $1.2M | +5.0% | #193 of 1,611 |
| 8Yadkin County, NC | 71 | 5 | 3.3 | $1.1M | +2.9% | #236 of 1,611 |
| 9Iredell County, NC | 71 | 43 | 5.6 | $895K | +12.9% | #247 of 1,611 |
| 10Burke County, NC | 69 | 9 | 2.5 | $1.4M | +1.6% | #277 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Union 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 preschools76
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Union County, NC?
Union County has 47 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 10 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 308 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Union County, NC spend on child care and other personal services?
About $53.7M a year, or $638 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 47 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 84,237 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NC compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Union County has 5.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.1M, 14% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Union County would have about 54, against 47 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,792 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 267,674 people in 2025, up 11.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 84,237 households. The median household income in Union County is $102,900 a year, 27% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% 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. Union County scores 76 for child care centers and preschools (high), #147 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.