Child care · County · North Dakota
Child care centers and preschools in Ward County, ND
How Ward 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 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,425 of 1,611 scored counties
#6 of 10 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 20
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- −3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $12.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $429 a household
- Spending per listing
- $613K
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.0
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,233
- −2.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Ward 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 Ward 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 Ward County is 24 (low), #1,425 of 1,611 scored counties and #6 of 10 scored counties in North Dakota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 20 child care centers and preschools in Ward County. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.0, 21% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Ward County spend about $12.3M a year on child care and other personal services, or $429 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. Spread across 20 child care centers and preschools, that is $613K per center, 39% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Ward County was 27 in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,058 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $564K has gone to businesses classed as child care services in Ward County. Population estimates show Ward County declined 2.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Ward 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 | Ward County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.0 | 6.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $613K | $686K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,058 | 885 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.6% | +19.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $429 | $423 | $581 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28 → 27−3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 313
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 171Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 200 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
- 1
- Amount
- $564K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Ward 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 Ward County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,233−2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 28,568
- Median age
- 35.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $78,238+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,307
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 30,323
- Daytime population
- 68,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ward 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 Ward 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 Ward 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 Ward 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 preschools24
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Ward County, ND?
Ward County has 20 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019. Official counts list 171 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ward County, ND spend on child care and other personal services?
About $12.3M a year, or $429 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $613K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 28,568 households in Ward County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ward County, ND compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Ward County has 7.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $613K, 39% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Ward County would have about 12, against 20 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,058 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Ward County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Ward County at 68,233 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 28,568 households. The median household income in Ward County is $78,238 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% 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. Ward County scores 24 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,425 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ward 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 Ward County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ward 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 Ward 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.