Groundwork

Child care · County · Ohio

Child care centers and preschools in Stark County, OH

The child care centers and preschools in Stark County, OH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #770 of 1,611 scored counties
#29 of 69 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
63
6 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments
57
−3.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$56.1M
On child care and other personal services · $359 a household
Spending per listing
$890K
11% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.0
31% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
373,771
−0.2% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Stark 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 Stark County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 63 child care centers and preschools in Stark County. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.0, 31% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.

Households in Stark County spend about $56.1M a year on child care and other personal services, or $359 per household, 38% below the U.S. average. Spread across 63 child care centers and preschools, that is $890K per center, 11% below the U.S. figure of $1M.

In 2023, official counts showed 57 businesses with payroll in Stark County classed as child care services, down 3.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,736 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 459 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $646K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Stark County.

Population estimates put the population change in Stark County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For child care centers and preschools, Stark County has a Groundwork market score of 52 (upper middle): #770 of 1,611 scored counties and #29 of 69 scored counties in Ohio.

How Stark 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.

Child care and preschools in Stark County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureStark CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.05.55.8
Spending per listing$890K$736K$1M
Households per official establishment2,7361,7291,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−3.4%+6.0%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.2%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$359$407$581
Median household income$67,934$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score5235

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
59 → 57−3.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
977
Annual payroll, 2023
$20.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
459Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
636 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
56The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$646K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Stark 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 Stark County

Population, 2025 estimate
373,771−0.2% since 2020
Households
155,955
Median age
42.3
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
575 sq. mi.
People per square mile
650
Median household income
$67,934+26.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,996
Median home value
$186,400
Jobs located here
161,831
Daytime population
363,748Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Stark 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 Stark County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Child 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 Stark County marked.

Top counties in Ohio

Counties in Ohio ranked for child care centers and preschools by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Union County, OH88114.5$1.3M+16.5%#24 of 1,611
2Greene County, OH74304.4$1.1M+3.7%#181 of 1,611
3Clermont County, OH72313.6$1.3M+3.9%#213 of 1,611
4Geauga County, OH70195.3$1.1M+0.3%#259 of 1,611
5Wood County, OH69193.5$1.2M+1.5%#282 of 1,611
6Warren County, OH68616.6$923K+5.7%#323 of 1,611
7Miami County, OH66194.2$963K+3.4%#371 of 1,611
8Erie County, OH6582.5$1.5M−2.9%#383 of 1,611
9Fairfield County, OH64325.3$906K+6.5%#435 of 1,611
10Hancock County, OH63113.5$1.1M+0.1%#451 of 1,611
29Stark County, OH52634.0$890K−0.2%#770 of 1,611

Other business types in Stark County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many child care centers and preschools are in Stark County, OH?

Stark County has 63 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 57 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 3.4% from 2019. Official counts list 459 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Stark County, OH spend on child care and other personal services?

About $56.1M a year, or $359 per household. That is 38% below the U.S. average (an index of 62, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 63 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $890K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 155,955 households in Stark County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Stark County, OH compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?

Stark County has 4.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $890K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Stark County would have about 56, against 63 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,736 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Stark County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Stark County at 373,771 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 155,955 households. The median household income in Stark County is $67,934 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.1% 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. Stark County scores 52 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #770 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stark 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 Stark County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Stark 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 Stark 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.