Child care · County · North Carolina
Child care centers and preschools in Watauga County, NC
How Watauga 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 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #425 of 1,611 scored counties
#18 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 8
- 1 chain location (13%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $8.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $392 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.8
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
Households in Watauga County spend about $8.3M a year on child care and other personal services, or $392 per household, 32% below the U.S. average. That is about $1M of household spending for each center on map listings, 4% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Watauga County has 8 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (13%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 3.8 for every 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 5 businesses with payroll in Watauga County classed as child care services. That is one for every 4,240 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 28 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $85K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Watauga County.
Population estimates put the population change in Watauga County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Watauga County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #425 of 1,611 scored counties and #18 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.8 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $844K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,240 | 1,639 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $392 | $463 | $581 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 46
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $761K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 81 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $85K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 18Watauga County, NC | 64 | 8 | 3.8 | $1M | +0.6% | #425 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Watauga 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 Watauga County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 child care centers and preschools in Watauga County. One of them (13%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 28 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on child care and other personal services?
About $8.3M a year, or $392 per household. That is 32% below the U.S. average (an index of 68, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Watauga County has 3.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,240 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 64 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #425 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.