Child care · County · South Carolina
Child care centers and preschools in Lexington County, SC
The child care centers and preschools in Lexington County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #320 of 1,611 scored counties
#14 of 33 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 56
- 10 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 59
- −7.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $54.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $448 a household
- Spending per listing
- $976K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.6
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 317,588
- +7.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Lexington 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 Lexington 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
Households in Lexington County spend about $54.7M a year on child care and other personal services, or $448 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That works out to $976K per center, 3% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Lexington County has 56 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.6 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 59 businesses with payroll in Lexington County classed as child care services, down 7.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,067 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 321 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.3M has gone to businesses classed as child care services in Lexington County.
Population estimates put the population change in Lexington County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lexington County scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #320 of 1,611 scored counties and #14 of 33 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Lexington County compares
The same measures for South Carolina 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 | Lexington County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.6 | 4.3 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $976K | $1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,067 | 2,033 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.8% | +13.6% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.7% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $448 | $438 | $581 |
| Median household income | $77,408 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 72 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 64 → 59−7.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 751
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 321Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5610 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 55The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Lexington 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 Lexington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 317,588+7.7% since 2020
- Households
- 121,964
- Median age
- 40.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 699 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 436
- Median household income
- $77,408+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,803
- Median home value
- $234,500
- Jobs located here
- 142,688
- Daytime population
- 310,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lexington 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 Lexington 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Lexington County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| 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 |
| 14Lexington County, SC | 68 | 56 | 4.6 | $976K | +7.7% | #320 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Lexington 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 preschools68
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Lexington County, SC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 56 child care centers and preschools in Lexington County. 10 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 7.8% from 2019. Another 321 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lexington County, SC spend on child care and other personal services?
About $54.7M a year, or $448 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 56 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $976K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,964 households in Lexington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lexington County, SC compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Lexington County has 4.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $976K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Lexington County would have about 55, against 56 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,067 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Lexington County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Lexington County at 317,588 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,964 households. Median household income in Lexington County is $77,408, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Lexington County scores 68 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #320 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lexington 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 Lexington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lexington 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 Lexington 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.