Child care · County · Pennsylvania
Child care centers and preschools in Franklin County, PA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Franklin County, PA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #209 of 1,611 scored counties
#4 of 59 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 21
- 2 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 36
- −5.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $32.8M
- On child care and other personal services · $516 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 56% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.3
- 43% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 160,652
- +3.0% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Franklin 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 Franklin 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
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Franklin County comes to about $32.8M a year: $516 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 21 child care centers and preschools, that is $1.6M per center, 56% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 21 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Franklin County as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 10%, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.3, 43% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 36 businesses with payroll in Franklin County classed as child care services, down 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,764 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 183 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Franklin County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Franklin County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #209 of 1,611 scored counties and #4 of 59 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Franklin County compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Franklin County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.3 | 6.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $941K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,764 | 1,380 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.3% | −0.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $516 | $584 | $581 |
| Median household income | $77,003 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38 → 36−5.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 365
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 183Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 212 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 33The 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 160,652+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 63,510
- Median age
- 42.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 772 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 204
- Median household income
- $77,003+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,696
- Median home value
- $249,800
- Jobs located here
- 56,990
- Daytime population
- 143,710Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Franklin County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pike County, PA | 81 | 12 | 4.9 | $1.2M | +7.2% | #75 of 1,611 |
| 2Adams County, PA | 79 | 10 | 2.4 | $2.3M | +3.6% | #90 of 1,611 |
| 3Lancaster County, PA | 74 | 96 | 4.5 | $1.3M | +1.9% | #173 of 1,611 |
| 4Franklin County, PA | 72 | 21 | 3.3 | $1.6M | +3.0% | #209 of 1,611 |
| 5Chester County, PA | 72 | 147 | 7.2 | $1.3M | +4.2% | #211 of 1,611 |
| 6Perry County, PA | 72 | 9 | 4.9 | $1.1M | +2.1% | #221 of 1,611 |
| 7York County, PA | 71 | 91 | 5.0 | $1.1M | +3.6% | #235 of 1,611 |
| 8Butler County, PA | 70 | 42 | 5.2 | $1.2M | +3.2% | #258 of 1,611 |
| 9Cumberland County, PA | 70 | 68 | 6.4 | $963K | +6.5% | #266 of 1,611 |
| 10Lebanon County, PA | 69 | 23 | 4.1 | $1.3M | +2.2% | #279 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Franklin 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 preschools72
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Franklin County, PA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 child care centers and preschools in Franklin County. 2 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 5.3% from 2019. Official counts list 183 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Franklin County, PA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $32.8M a year, or $516 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 63,510 households in Franklin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Franklin County, PA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Franklin County has 3.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.6M, 56% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Franklin County would have about 33, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,764 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Franklin County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Franklin County at 160,652 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,510 households. Median household income in Franklin County is $77,003, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.5%, 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. Franklin County scores 72 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #209 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Franklin 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 Franklin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Franklin 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 Franklin 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.