Child care · County · North Dakota
Child care centers and preschools in Grand Forks County, ND
How Grand Forks County, ND 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 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #868 of 1,611 scored counties
#3 of 10 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 12
- 2 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $12M
- On child care and other personal services · $382 a household
- Spending per listing
- $997K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.8
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 74,501
- +1.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 12 child care centers and preschools in Grand Forks County. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.8, 34% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $382 per household (34% below the U.S. average), households in Grand Forks County spend about $12M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 12 child care centers and preschools, that is $997K per center, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Grand Forks County was 22 in 2023. That is one for every 1,423 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 191 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Grand Forks County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Grand Forks County has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #868 of 1,611 scored counties and #3 of 10 scored counties in North Dakota.
How Grand Forks County compares
The same measures for North Dakota 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 | Grand Forks County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.8 | 6.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $997K | $686K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,423 | 885 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +19.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $382 | $423 | $581 |
| Median household income | $68,075 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 22
- Employees, 2023
- 415
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 191Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 122 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The 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 Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 74,501+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 31,295
- Median age
- 33.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 52%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,436 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 51
- Median household income
- $68,075+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,591
- Median home value
- $252,700
- Jobs located here
- 38,188
- Daytime population
- 77,655Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks 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 Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Grand Forks County marked.
Top counties in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Morton County, ND | 54 | 6 | 4.3 | $953K | +3.8% | #716 of 1,611 |
| 2Burleigh County, ND | 50 | 22 | 5.3 | $887K | +4.7% | #821 of 1,611 |
| 3Grand Forks County, ND | 48 | 12 | 3.8 | $997K | +1.9% | #868 of 1,611 |
| 4Cass County, ND | 40 | 56 | 6.7 | $642K | +9.1% | #1,109 of 1,611 |
| 5Williams County, ND | 37 | 10 | 6.6 | $747K | +1.4% | #1,161 of 1,611 |
| 6Ward County, ND | 24 | 20 | 7.0 | $613K | −2.4% | #1,425 of 1,611 |
| 7Stark County, ND | 20 | 14 | 10.3 | $404K | +0.5% | #1,487 of 1,611 |
| 8Richland County, ND | 20 | 7 | 10.2 | $402K | +1.2% | #1,488 of 1,611 |
| 9Stutsman County, ND | 16 | 7 | 7.4 | $493K | −0.6% | #1,537 of 1,611 |
| 10Rolette County, ND | 6 | 6 | 15.9 | $227K | −4.1% | #1,600 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Grand Forks 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 preschools48
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Grand Forks County, ND?
Grand Forks County has 12 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Another 191 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Grand Forks County, ND spend on child care and other personal services?
About $12M a year, or $382 per household. That is 34% below the U.S. average (an index of 66, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $997K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,295 households in Grand Forks County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Grand Forks County, ND compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Grand Forks 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 $997K, in line with 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 1,423 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Grand Forks County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Grand Forks County at 74,501 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,295 households. The median household income in Grand Forks County is $68,075 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.0% 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. Grand Forks County scores 48 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #868 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks 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.