Child care · County · Ohio
Child care centers and preschools in Lucas County, OH
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Lucas County, OH, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,479 of 1,611 scored counties
#64 of 69 scored counties in Ohio
- Listings
- 123
- 5 chain locations (4%)
- Official establishments
- 143
- +14.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $66.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $365 a household
- Spending per listing
- $544K
- 46% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.7
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 423,347
- −1.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Lucas 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 Lucas 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 Lucas County is 20 (low), #1,479 of 1,611 scored counties and #64 of 69 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Lucas County comes to about $66.9M a year: $365 per household, 37% below the U.S. average. That is about $544K of household spending for each center on map listings, 46% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Lucas County has 123 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 4% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 6.7 for every 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Lucas County was 143 in 2023, up 14.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,281 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Lucas County. Population estimates show Lucas County declined 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Lucas County compares
The same measures for Ohio 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 | Lucas County | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.7 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $544K | $736K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,281 | 1,729 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.4% | +6.0% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $365 | $407 | $581 |
| Median household income | $62,224 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 125 → 143+14.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,485
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 671Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1235 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Lucas 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 Lucas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 423,347−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 183,243
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 340 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,260
- Median household income
- $62,224+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,001
- Median home value
- $163,900
- Jobs located here
- 202,605
- Daytime population
- 443,876Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lucas 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 Lucas 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Ohio for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Lucas County marked.
Top counties in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, OH | 88 | 11 | 4.5 | $1.3M | +16.5% | #24 of 1,611 |
| 2Greene County, OH | 74 | 30 | 4.4 | $1.1M | +3.7% | #181 of 1,611 |
| 3Clermont County, OH | 72 | 31 | 3.6 | $1.3M | +3.9% | #213 of 1,611 |
| 4Geauga County, OH | 70 | 19 | 5.3 | $1.1M | +0.3% | #259 of 1,611 |
| 5Wood County, OH | 69 | 19 | 3.5 | $1.2M | +1.5% | #282 of 1,611 |
| 6Warren County, OH | 68 | 61 | 6.6 | $923K | +5.7% | #323 of 1,611 |
| 7Miami County, OH | 66 | 19 | 4.2 | $963K | +3.4% | #371 of 1,611 |
| 8Erie County, OH | 65 | 8 | 2.5 | $1.5M | −2.9% | #383 of 1,611 |
| 9Fairfield County, OH | 64 | 32 | 5.3 | $906K | +6.5% | #435 of 1,611 |
| 10Hancock County, OH | 63 | 11 | 3.5 | $1.1M | +0.1% | #451 of 1,611 |
| 64Lucas County, OH | 20 | 123 | 6.7 | $544K | −1.7% | #1,479 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Lucas 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 preschools20
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Lucas County, OH?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 123 child care centers and preschools in Lucas County. 5 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 143 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 14.4% from 2019. Another 671 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lucas County, OH spend on child care and other personal services?
About $66.9M a year, or $365 per household. That is 37% below the U.S. average (an index of 63, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 123 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $544K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 183,243 households in Lucas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lucas County, OH compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Lucas County has 6.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $544K, 46% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Lucas County would have about 67, against 123 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,281 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Lucas County, OH growing?
Population estimates put Lucas County at 423,347 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 183,243 households. Median household income in Lucas County is $62,224, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Lucas County scores 20 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,479 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lucas 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 Lucas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lucas 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 Lucas 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.