Child care · County · North Carolina
Child care centers and preschools in Wake County, NC
The child care centers and preschools in Wake County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #434 of 1,611 scored counties
#19 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 334
- 74 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 322
- +8.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $305.1M
- On child care and other personal services · $663 a household
- Spending per listing
- $914K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.3
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,257,235
- +11.2% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Wake 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 Wake 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
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Wake County comes to about $305.1M a year: $663 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. Spread across 334 child care centers and preschools, that is $914K per center, 9% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 334 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Wake County as of September 2026. 74 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 7.3 per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Wake County was 322 in 2023, up 8.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,429 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 1,111 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 25 SBA-backed loans worth $36M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Wake County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wake County grew 11.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Wake County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #434 of 1,611 scored counties and #19 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Wake 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 | Wake County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.3 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $914K | $844K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,429 | 1,639 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.1% | +2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.2% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $663 | $463 | $581 |
| Median household income | $105,768 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 298 → 322+8.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,951
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $182.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,111Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 33474 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 305The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 25
- Amount
- $36M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Wake 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 Wake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,257,235+11.2% since 2020
- Households
- 460,175
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 835 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,412
- Median household income
- $105,768+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,587
- Median home value
- $461,300
- Jobs located here
- 687,531
- Daytime population
- 1,293,967Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake 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 |
| 19Wake County, NC | 64 | 334 | 7.3 | $914K | +11.2% | #434 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Wake 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 preschools64
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Wake County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 334 child care centers and preschools in Wake County. 74 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 322 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 8.1% from 2019. Another 1,111 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Wake County, NC spend on child care and other personal services?
About $305.1M a year, or $663 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 334 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $914K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 460,175 households in Wake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wake County, NC compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Wake County has 7.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $914K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Wake County would have about 305, against 334 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,429 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Wake County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wake County at 1,257,235 people in 2025, up 11.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 460,175 households. Median household income in Wake County is $105,768, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. Wake County scores 64 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #434 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wake 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 Wake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wake 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 Wake 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.