Market rankings · South Carolina
Child care centers and preschools in South Carolina
Markets across South Carolina ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 911
- 153 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 1,042
- +13.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $927.4M
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.3
- 26% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 2% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #6 of 51
- Market score 72 · Upper middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in South Carolina 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 911 child care centers and preschools in South Carolina. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 4.3 per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in South Carolina spend about $927.4M a year on child care and other personal services, or $438 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1M per center, 2% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 1,042 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in South Carolina in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. That is one for every 2,033 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, 46 SBA-backed loans worth $47.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in South Carolina.
Among the 50 states and DC, South Carolina ranks #6 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 72 (upper middle). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area scores highest (86). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Seneca area scores highest (77).
Every market in South Carolina for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in South Carolina, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 86 | 40 | 4.2 | $1.3M | +12.0% | #9 of 387 |
| 2Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 76 | 148 | 4.4 | $1.2M | +10.7% | #31 of 387 |
| 3Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 74 | 149 | 3.9 | $1.1M | +9.0% | #35 of 387 |
| 4Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 72 | 60 | 3.8 | $1M | +20.9% | #49 of 387 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 65 | 570 | 5.3 | $1M | +10.1% | #87 of 387 |
| 5Columbia, SC | 60 | 156 | 4.6 | $935K | +6.0% | #120 of 387 |
| 6Spartanburg, SC | 55 | 61 | 4.3 | $909K | +14.3% | #168 of 387 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 52 | 102 | 4.4 | $1M | +4.7% | #181 of 387 |
| 7Florence, SC | 27 | 36 | 4.6 | $807K | +0.9% | #344 of 387 |
| 8Sumter, SC | 22 | 18 | 4.4 | $829K | −0.3% | #365 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Seneca, SC | 77 | 15 | 4.3 | $938K | +6.3% | #34 of 454 |
| 2Murrells Inlet, SC | 71 | 11 | 4.1 | $1.1M | +3.8% | #68 of 454 |
| 3Newberry, SC | 62 | 5 | 3.3 | $1.1M | +4.8% | #128 of 454 |
| 4Greenwood, SC | 57 | 15 | 4.0 | $860K | +1.7% | #173 of 454 |
| 5Gaffney, SC | 45 | 9 | 4.1 | $768K | +3.7% | #275 of 454 |
| 6Orangeburg, SC | 22 | 19 | 5.7 | $557K | −0.9% | #417 of 454 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beaufort County, SC | 89 | 33 | 4.0 | $1.4M | +8.9% | #20 of 1,611 |
| 2Kershaw County, SC | 80 | 8 | 3.0 | $1.4M | +11.6% | #82 of 1,611 |
| 3Dorchester County, SC | 80 | 24 | 3.8 | $1.2M | +10.1% | #87 of 1,611 |
| 4Berkeley County, SC | 80 | 37 | 3.9 | $1.2M | +18.7% | #88 of 1,611 |
| 5Pickens County, SC | 79 | 12 | 2.3 | $1.7M | +5.7% | #92 of 1,611 |
| 6Lancaster County, SC | 79 | 13 | 3.2 | $1.5M | +18.3% | #93 of 1,611 |
| 7Horry County, SC | 76 | 60 | 3.8 | $1M | +20.9% | #150 of 1,611 |
| 8Anderson County, SC | 75 | 28 | 3.3 | $1.2M | +7.7% | #160 of 1,611 |
| 9Charleston County, SC | 74 | 87 | 4.9 | $1.2M | +6.4% | #177 of 1,611 |
| 10Greenville County, SC | 73 | 105 | 4.8 | $1M | +10.6% | #204 of 1,611 |
| 11Aiken County, SC | 69 | 18 | 2.6 | $1.7M | +7.3% | #272 of 1,611 |
| 12York County, SC | 69 | 62 | 5.4 | $1M | +8.1% | #295 of 1,611 |
| 13Oconee County, SC | 69 | 15 | 4.3 | $938K | +6.3% | #299 of 1,611 |
| 14Lexington County, SC | 68 | 56 | 4.6 | $976K | +7.7% | #320 of 1,611 |
| 15Edgefield County, SC | 66 | 5 | 5.1 | $818K | +16.1% | #378 of 1,611 |
| 16Georgetown County, SC | 65 | 11 | 4.1 | $1.1M | +3.8% | #395 of 1,611 |
| 17Richland County, SC | 60 | 83 | 4.9 | $875K | +4.6% | #551 of 1,611 |
| 18Spartanburg County, SC | 59 | 59 | 4.5 | $884K | +15.6% | #579 of 1,611 |
| 19Jasper County, SC | 57 | 7 | 5.3 | $745K | +32.2% | #643 of 1,611 |
| 20Newberry County, SC | 56 | 5 | 3.3 | $1.1M | +4.8% | #650 of 1,611 |
| 21Colleton County, SC | 52 | 7 | 4.3 | $801K | +2.2% | #774 of 1,611 |
| 22Greenwood County, SC | 43 | 12 | 4.3 | $776K | +1.5% | #1,007 of 1,611 |
| 23Florence County, SC | 39 | 23 | 4.4 | $873K | +1.2% | #1,121 of 1,611 |
| 24Cherokee County, SC | 39 | 9 | 4.1 | $768K | +3.7% | #1,126 of 1,611 |
| 25Chester County, SC | 35 | 5 | 3.8 | $791K | +2.2% | #1,206 of 1,611 |
Show all 46 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Darlington County, SC | 34 | 13 | 5.1 | $689K | +0.1% | #1,242 of 1,611 |
| 27Sumter County, SC | 32 | 18 | 4.4 | $829K | −0.3% | #1,288 of 1,611 |
| 28Fairfield County, SC | 31 | 5 | 5.6 | $593K | −2.6% | #1,313 of 1,611 |
| 29Clarendon County, SC | 24 | 9 | 7.3 | $438K | +0.7% | #1,433 of 1,611 |
| 30Williamsburg County, SC | 20 | 6 | 4.9 | $630K | −4.0% | #1,477 of 1,611 |
| 31Orangeburg County, SC | 18 | 19 | 5.7 | $557K | −0.9% | #1,511 of 1,611 |
| 32Dillon County, SC | 14 | 6 | 5.5 | $532K | −2.9% | #1,555 of 1,611 |
| 33Marion County, SC | 4 | 11 | 9.0 | $290K | −2.9% | #1,607 of 1,611 |
| Laurens County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 1.5 | $2.2M | +6.2% | |
| Chesterfield County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 2.3 | $1.4M | +3.4% | |
| Union County, SC | Not scored | 2 | 1.7 | $1.6M | −1.4% | |
| Marlboro County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 4.1 | $649K | −3.8% | |
| Abbeville County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 3.1 | $1.2M | +2.3% | |
| Barnwell County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 4.9 | $669K | +0.4% | |
| Saluda County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 3.9 | $843K | +4.1% | |
| Hampton County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 5.5 | $505K | −1.9% | |
| Lee County, SC | Not scored | 1 | 1.6 | $1.6M | −5.0% | |
| Calhoun County, SC | Not scored | 1 | 1.6 | $2.3M | +0.6% | |
| Bamberg County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 8.6 | $341K | −3.5% | |
| McCormick County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 7.1 | $445K | +7.3% | |
| Allendale County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 9.3 | $313K | −7.4% |
Markets with fewer than 5 child care centers and preschools on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in South Carolina?
South Carolina has 911 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 153 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 1,042 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. Official counts list 7,106 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in South Carolina spend on child care and other personal services?
About $927.4M a year, or $438 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 911 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,117,989 households in South Carolina and national spending patterns by income.
How does South Carolina compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
South Carolina has 4.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1M, 2% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, South Carolina would have about 926, against 911 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,033 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in South Carolina has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area scores highest, at 86 (high). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Seneca area scores highest, at 77 (high). Among 33 scored counties in South Carolina, Beaufort County scores highest, at 89 (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. South Carolina scores 72 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #6 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 South Carolina. 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 South Carolina
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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.