Market rankings · Rhode Island
Child care centers and preschools in Rhode Island
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Rhode Island, ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 255
- 20 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 279
- −3.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $284.4M
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 11% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #19 of 51
- Market score 60 · Upper middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in Rhode Island 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
Rhode Island has 255 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 20 are chain locations, or 8%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.8 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Rhode Island comes to about $284.4M a year: $644 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per center, 11% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 279 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Rhode Island in 2023, down 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,583 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, 31 SBA-backed loans worth $9.5M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Rhode Island.
Among the 50 states and DC, Rhode Island ranks #19 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island, the Providence-Warwick metro area, scores 56. Among 5 scored counties, Washington County scores highest (77).
Every market in Rhode Island for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Rhode Island, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 56 | 414 | 6.1 | $1M | +2.1% | #154 of 387 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington County, RI | 77 | 23 | 4.4 | $1.8M | 0.0% | #126 of 1,611 |
| 2Kent County, RI | 62 | 41 | 5.6 | $1.2M | +1.8% | #478 of 1,611 |
| 3Providence County, RI | 61 | 155 | 6.0 | $967K | +2.8% | #522 of 1,611 |
| 4Newport County, RI | 58 | 20 | 5.4 | $1.4M | −2.9% | #587 of 1,611 |
| 5Bristol County, RI | 50 | 16 | 8.0 | $1M | −1.5% | #812 of 1,611 |
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Rhode Island?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 255 child care centers and preschools in Rhode Island. 20 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 279 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 3.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,561 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rhode Island spend on child care and other personal services?
About $284.4M a year, or $644 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 255 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 441,570 households in Rhode Island and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rhode Island compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Rhode Island has 5.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.1M, 11% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Rhode Island would have about 284, against 255 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,583 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Rhode Island has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island is the Providence-Warwick metro area, at 56 (upper middle). Among 5 scored counties in Rhode Island, Washington County scores highest, at 77 (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. Rhode Island scores 60 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #19 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 Rhode Island. 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 Rhode Island
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rhode Island?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.