Child care · County · Pennsylvania
Child care centers and preschools in Lancaster County, PA
How Lancaster County, PA 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #173 of 1,611 scored counties
#3 of 59 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 96
- 16 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 100
- −2.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $127.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $601 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 33% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.5
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 563,159
- +1.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster County comes to about $127.9M a year: $601 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each center on map listings, 33% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Lancaster County has 96 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 16 are chain locations, or 17%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.5 for every 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Lancaster County was 100 in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,127 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 515 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $10.7M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Lancaster County.
Population estimates show Lancaster County grew 1.9% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lancaster County scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #173 of 1,611 scored counties and #3 of 59 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Lancaster 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 | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.5 | 6.2 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $941K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,127 | 1,380 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.9% | −0.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $601 | $584 | $581 |
| Median household income | $86,959 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 103 → 100−2.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,237
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $34.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 515Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9616 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 128The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $10.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 563,159+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 212,748
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 944 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 591
- Median household income
- $86,959+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,346
- Median home value
- $301,100
- Jobs located here
- 258,003
- Daytime population
- 553,680Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 preschools74
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Lancaster County, PA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 96 child care centers and preschools in Lancaster County. 16 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 100 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. Official counts list 515 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lancaster County, PA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $127.9M a year, or $601 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 96 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 212,748 households in Lancaster County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lancaster County, PA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Lancaster County has 4.5 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.3M, 33% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Lancaster County would have about 128, against 96 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,127 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Lancaster County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Lancaster County at 563,159 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 212,748 households. Median household income in Lancaster County is $86,959, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.6%, 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. Lancaster County scores 74 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #173 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.