Child care · County · Rhode Island
Child care centers and preschools in Providence County, RI
The child care centers and preschools in Providence County, RI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #522 of 1,611 scored counties
#3 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 155
- 11 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 157
- −3.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $149.8M
- On child care and other personal services · $578 a household
- Spending per listing
- $967K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.0
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 678,179
- +2.8% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Providence 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 Providence 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 155 child care centers and preschools in Providence County. 11 of them (7%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.0, 3% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $578 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Providence County spend about $149.8M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 155 child care centers and preschools, that is $967K per center, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 157 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Providence County in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,651 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 1,225 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 17 SBA-backed loans worth $4.9M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Providence County.
Population estimates put the population change in Providence County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Providence County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #522 of 1,611 scored counties and #3 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island.
How Providence 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 | Providence County | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.0 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $967K | $1.1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,651 | 1,583 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.7% | −3.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $578 | $644 | $581 |
| Median household income | $78,787 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 163 → 157−3.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,147
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $64.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,225Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15511 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 150The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 17
- Amount
- $4.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Providence 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 Providence County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 678,179+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 259,210
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,624
- Median household income
- $78,787+33.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,369
- Median home value
- $373,600
- Jobs located here
- 293,972
- Daytime population
- 648,043Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Providence 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 Providence 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 Providence 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 Providence 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 preschools61
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Providence County, RI?
Providence County has 155 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 157 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019. Official counts list 1,225 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Providence County, RI spend on child care and other personal services?
About $149.8M a year, or $578 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 155 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $967K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 259,210 households in Providence County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Providence County, RI compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Providence County has 6.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $967K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Providence County would have about 150, against 155 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,651 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Providence County, RI growing?
Population estimates put Providence County at 678,179 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 259,210 households. The median household income in Providence County is $78,787 a year, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.6% 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. Providence County scores 61 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #522 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Providence 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 Providence County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Providence 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 Providence 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.