Child care · County · Rhode Island
Child care centers and preschools in Kent County, RI
How Kent County, RI 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 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #478 of 1,611 scored counties
#2 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 41
- 4 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 54
- +5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $49M
- On child care and other personal services · $673 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.6
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 173,495
- +1.8% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Kent 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 Kent 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 41 child care centers and preschools in Kent County. 4 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.6, 3% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Kent County spend about $49M a year on child care and other personal services, or $673 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. Spread across 41 child care centers and preschools, that is $1.2M per center, 19% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 54 businesses with payroll in Kent County classed as child care services, up 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,349 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 142 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Kent County.
Population estimates show Kent County grew 1.8% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kent County scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #478 of 1,611 scored counties and #2 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island.
How Kent County compares
The same measures for Rhode Island 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 | Kent County | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,349 | 1,583 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.9% | −3.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.8% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $673 | $644 | $581 |
| Median household income | $94,345 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 51 → 54+5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 898
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 142Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 414 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Kent 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 Kent County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 173,495+1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 72,839
- Median age
- 44.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 169 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,017
- Median household income
- $94,345+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,389
- Median home value
- $366,100
- Jobs located here
- 79,114
- Daytime population
- 158,826Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kent 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 Kent 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 Rhode Island
Every Rhode Island market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Kent County marked.
Top counties in Rhode Island
| 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 |
Other business types in Kent 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 preschools62
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Kent County, RI?
Kent County has 41 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 54 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. Another 142 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kent County, RI spend on child care and other personal services?
About $49M a year, or $673 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 41 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 72,839 households in Kent County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kent County, RI compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Kent County has 5.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.2M, 19% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Kent County would have about 49, against 41 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,349 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Kent County, RI growing?
Population estimates put Kent County at 173,495 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,839 households. The median household income in Kent County is $94,345 a year, 17% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.3% 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. Kent County scores 62 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #478 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kent 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 Kent County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kent 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 Kent 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.