Market rankings · Oklahoma
Child care centers and preschools in Oklahoma
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Oklahoma, ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 862
- 94 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 1,055
- +9.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $633.6M
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 5% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $735K
- 27% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #36 of 51
- Market score 37 · Lower middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Oklahoma by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Oklahoma has 862 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 94 are chain locations, or 11%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 5.5 per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $406 per household (30% below the U.S. average), households in Oklahoma spend about $633.6M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $735K per center, 27% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Oklahoma was 1,055 in 2023, up 9.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,481 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 60 SBA-backed loans worth $47.1M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Oklahoma.
Among the 50 states and DC, Oklahoma ranks #36 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 37 (lower middle). Of the 5 scored metro areas in or partly in Oklahoma, the Tulsa metro area scores highest (45). Of the 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Oklahoma, the Stillwater area scores highest (72).
Every market in Oklahoma for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Oklahoma, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tulsa, OK | 45 | 218 | 5.4 | $810K | +5.1% | #236 of 387 |
| 2Oklahoma City, OK | 44 | 312 | 5.5 | $817K | +5.8% | #241 of 387 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | 31 | 46 | 5.1 | $702K | +3.1% | #326 of 387 |
| 3Enid, OK | 24 | 14 | 5.9 | $650K | −1.5% | #362 of 387 |
| 4Lawton, OK | 11 | 33 | 7.0 | $511K | +0.7% | #385 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Stillwater, OK | 72 | 10 | 3.1 | $1.2M | +2.8% | #60 of 454 |
| 2Ponca City, OK | 52 | 6 | 3.6 | $972K | −0.3% | #210 of 454 |
| 3Tahlequah, OK | 47 | 8 | 4.3 | $781K | +4.5% | #253 of 454 |
| 4Shawnee, OK | 46 | 13 | 4.8 | $730K | +3.5% | #267 of 454 |
| 5Bartlesville, OK | 43 | 13 | 6.2 | $637K | +2.7% | #295 of 454 |
| 6Durant, OK | 39 | 11 | 6.0 | $560K | +10.9% | #321 of 454 |
| 7Ardmore, OK | 39 | 13 | 6.8 | $548K | +1.8% | #322 of 454 |
| 8Duncan, OK | 38 | 12 | 6.8 | $552K | +3.4% | #328 of 454 |
| 9McAlester, OK | 32 | 8 | 4.5 | $744K | −1.1% | #365 of 454 |
| 10Ada, OK | 32 | 10 | 6.6 | $545K | +1.2% | #368 of 454 |
| 11Altus, OK | 29 | 7 | 7.2 | $515K | +0.1% | #388 of 454 |
| 12Muskogee, OK | 22 | 20 | 7.8 | $408K | +0.7% | #420 of 454 |
| 13Elk City, OK | 18 | 7 | 8.5 | $394K | −0.7% | #429 of 454 |
| 14Miami, OK | 16 | 12 | 10.1 | $286K | +0.7% | #436 of 454 |
| 15Woodward, OK | 16 | 12 | 15.1 | $244K | −2.8% | #437 of 454 |
| Weatherford, OK | Not scored | 4 | 2.6 | $1.4M | −0.7% | |
| Guymon, OK | Not scored | 3 | 4.4 | $756K | −4.5% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wagoner County, OK | 83 | 8 | 2.5 | $1.8M | +14.6% | #52 of 1,611 |
| 2Grady County, OK | 81 | 7 | 3.4 | $1.3M | +7.7% | #73 of 1,611 |
| 3Rogers County, OK | 74 | 9 | 2.5 | $1.9M | +7.1% | #168 of 1,611 |
| 4Payne County, OK | 66 | 10 | 3.1 | $1.2M | +2.8% | #361 of 1,611 |
| 5Canadian County, OK | 63 | 31 | 5.3 | $922K | +20.4% | #462 of 1,611 |
| 6McClain County, OK | 56 | 9 | 5.5 | $880K | +18.4% | #663 of 1,611 |
| 7Tulsa County, OK | 50 | 162 | 5.9 | $747K | +4.2% | #831 of 1,611 |
| 8Sequoyah County, OK | 49 | 6 | 3.9 | $797K | +4.1% | #851 of 1,611 |
| 9Kay County, OK | 46 | 6 | 3.6 | $972K | −0.3% | #917 of 1,611 |
| 10Oklahoma County, OK | 45 | 182 | 5.5 | $786K | +3.0% | #958 of 1,611 |
| 11Creek County, OK | 45 | 16 | 5.7 | $672K | +4.4% | #962 of 1,611 |
| 12Cleveland County, OK | 44 | 73 | 6.3 | $719K | +2.6% | #982 of 1,611 |
| 13Le Flore County, OK | 43 | 9 | 5.0 | $613K | +4.1% | #1,021 of 1,611 |
| 14Osage County, OK | 42 | 16 | 9.2 | $431K | +2.2% | #1,057 of 1,611 |
| 15Cherokee County, OK | 39 | 8 | 4.3 | $781K | +4.5% | #1,125 of 1,611 |
| 16Pottawatomie County, OK | 36 | 13 | 4.8 | $730K | +3.5% | #1,178 of 1,611 |
| 17McIntosh County, OK | 35 | 5 | 6.4 | $484K | +4.3% | #1,232 of 1,611 |
| 18Garfield County, OK | 34 | 14 | 5.9 | $650K | −1.5% | #1,243 of 1,611 |
| 19Bryan County, OK | 34 | 11 | 6.0 | $560K | +10.9% | #1,249 of 1,611 |
| 20Lincoln County, OK | 33 | 8 | 6.1 | $609K | +5.3% | #1,272 of 1,611 |
| 21Washington County, OK | 32 | 13 | 6.2 | $637K | +2.7% | #1,292 of 1,611 |
| 22Garvin County, OK | 30 | 5 | 4.9 | $701K | +2.8% | #1,326 of 1,611 |
| 23Carter County, OK | 30 | 13 | 6.8 | $548K | +1.8% | #1,333 of 1,611 |
| 24Stephens County, OK | 28 | 12 | 6.8 | $552K | +3.4% | #1,375 of 1,611 |
| 25Delaware County, OK | 27 | 11 | 6.4 | $551K | +3.8% | #1,392 of 1,611 |
Show all 77 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Pittsburg County, OK | 26 | 8 | 4.5 | $744K | −1.1% | #1,400 of 1,611 |
| 27Caddo County, OK | 26 | 6 | 6.6 | $472K | −2.9% | #1,413 of 1,611 |
| 28Pontotoc County, OK | 23 | 10 | 6.6 | $545K | +1.2% | #1,439 of 1,611 |
| 29Jackson County, OK | 22 | 7 | 7.2 | $515K | +0.1% | #1,453 of 1,611 |
| 30Comanche County, OK | 20 | 33 | 7.3 | $488K | +0.8% | #1,482 of 1,611 |
| 31Muskogee County, OK | 19 | 20 | 7.8 | $408K | +0.7% | #1,504 of 1,611 |
| 32Adair County, OK | 17 | 5 | 7.0 | $410K | +2.0% | #1,529 of 1,611 |
| 33Ottawa County, OK | 14 | 12 | 10.1 | $286K | +0.7% | #1,559 of 1,611 |
| 34Beckham County, OK | 13 | 7 | 8.5 | $394K | −0.7% | #1,566 of 1,611 |
| 35Woodward County, OK | 11 | 12 | 15.1 | $244K | −2.8% | #1,579 of 1,611 |
| 36McCurtain County, OK | 9 | 11 | 9.9 | $314K | −0.3% | #1,588 of 1,611 |
| 37Choctaw County, OK | 5 | 6 | 10.1 | $293K | −1.0% | #1,602 of 1,611 |
| Logan County, OK | Not scored | 2 | 1.1 | $4.6M | +11.5% | |
| Mayes County, OK | Not scored | 4 | 2.6 | $1.4M | +3.5% | |
| Okmulgee County, OK | Not scored | 4 | 2.8 | $1.2M | +1.5% | |
| Custer County, OK | Not scored | 4 | 3.6 | $1M | −1.0% | |
| Seminole County, OK | Not scored | 3 | 3.4 | $870K | −0.3% | |
| Texas County, OK | Not scored | 3 | 4.4 | $756K | −4.5% | |
| Pawnee County, OK | Not scored | 3 | 4.9 | $732K | +3.1% | |
| Marshall County, OK | Not scored | 3 | 5.0 | $696K | +6.0% | |
| Kingfisher County, OK | Not scored | 2 | 3.5 | $1.2M | +4.1% | |
| Atoka County, OK | Not scored | 2 | 4.0 | $852K | +3.1% | |
| Craig County, OK | Not scored | 4 | 7.7 | $389K | +2.6% | |
| Murray County, OK | Not scored | 2 | 4.0 | $963K | −0.5% | |
| Hughes County, OK | Not scored | 3 | 7.4 | $383K | +0.8% | |
| Haskell County, OK | Not scored | 3 | 6.5 | $492K | +2.0% | |
| Okfuskee County, OK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +1.6% | |
| Noble County, OK | Not scored | 1 | 2.4 | $1.7M | −0.2% | |
| Washita County, OK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.2% | |
| Pushmataha County, OK | Not scored | 2 | 4.5 | $672K | +0.1% | |
| Johnston County, OK | Not scored | 3 | 7.7 | $424K | +2.0% | |
| Love County, OK | Not scored | 2 | 5.1 | $748K | +6.1% | |
| Latimer County, OK | Not scored | 3 | 7.7 | $356K | +1.8% | |
| Nowata County, OK | Not scored | 1 | 2.7 | $1.3M | +2.1% | |
| Woods County, OK | Not scored | 1 | 2.8 | $1.2M | −1.8% | |
| Blaine County, OK | Not scored | 2 | 5.9 | $640K | −2.2% | |
| Kiowa County, OK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.7% | |
| Major County, OK | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $1.3M | −2.7% | |
| Tillman County, OK | Not scored | 1 | 3.7 | $846K | −2.4% | |
| Alfalfa County, OK | Not scored | 1 | 5.2 | $730K | −1.1% | |
| Greer County, OK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.2% | |
| Cotton County, OK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.9% | |
| Jefferson County, OK | Not scored | 2 | 9.2 | $306K | +2.2% | |
| Coal County, OK | Not scored | 1 | 4.9 | $657K | +3.0% | |
| Beaver County, OK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.9% | |
| Dewey County, OK | Not scored | 1 | 6.1 | $572K | −6.0% | |
| Grant County, OK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.8% | |
| Ellis County, OK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.4% | |
| Roger Mills County, OK | Not scored | 1 | 7.1 | $574K | −5.0% | |
| Harper County, OK | Not scored | 2 | 15.0 | $247K | −2.3% | |
| Harmon County, OK | Not scored | 1 | 10.4 | $319K | −6.0% | |
| Cimarron County, OK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −10.0% |
Markets with fewer than 5 child care centers and preschools on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Oklahoma?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 862 child care centers and preschools in Oklahoma. 94 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 1,055 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 9.2% from 2019. Another 5,503 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Oklahoma spend on child care and other personal services?
About $633.6M a year, or $406 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 862 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $735K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,562,389 households in Oklahoma and national spending patterns by income.
How does Oklahoma compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Oklahoma has 5.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $735K, 27% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Oklahoma would have about 632, against 862 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,481 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Oklahoma has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 5 scored metro areas in or partly in Oklahoma, the Tulsa metro area scores highest, at 45 (lower middle). Among 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Oklahoma, the Stillwater area scores highest, at 72 (upper middle). Among 37 scored counties in Oklahoma, Wagoner County scores highest, at 83 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Oklahoma scores 37 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #36 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Oklahoma. 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.
Child care and preschools in other states
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Top markets for child care centers and preschools across the U.S. · All business types in Oklahoma
Screening a site or an acquisition in Oklahoma?
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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.