Groundwork

Child care · County · South Carolina

Child care centers and preschools in York County, SC

The child care centers and preschools in York County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #295 of 1,611 scored counties
#12 of 33 scored counties in South Carolina

Listings
62
11 chain locations (18%)
Official establishments
64
+36.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$62.6M
On child care and other personal services · $550 a household
Spending per listing
$1M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.4
7% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
306,887
+8.1% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in York 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 York County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 62 child care centers and preschools in York County. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 5.4 per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.

Household spending on child care and other personal services in York County comes to about $62.6M a year: $550 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1M per center, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M.

In 2023, official counts showed 64 businesses with payroll in York County classed as child care services, up 36.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,778 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 328 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $11M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in York County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of York County grew 8.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in York County is 69 (upper middle), #295 of 1,611 scored counties and #12 of 33 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How York 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.

Child care and preschools in York County, SC compared with South Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureYork CountySouth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.44.35.8
Spending per listing$1M$1M$1M
Households per official establishment1,7782,0331,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+36.2%+13.6%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+8.1%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$550$438$581
Median household income$89,095$69,324$80,734
Groundwork market score6972

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
47 → 64+36.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,099
Annual payroll, 2023
$31.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
328Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6211 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
62The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
10
Amount
$11M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in York 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 York County

Population, 2025 estimate
306,887+8.1% since 2020
Households
113,785
Median age
40.3
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
681 sq. mi.
People per square mile
431
Median household income
$89,095+36.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$115,529
Median home value
$361,300
Jobs located here
111,939
Daytime population
267,996Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in York 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 York County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Child 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 York County marked.

Top counties in South Carolina

Counties in South Carolina ranked for child care centers and preschools by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Beaufort County, SC89334.0$1.4M+8.9%#20 of 1,611
2Kershaw County, SC8083.0$1.4M+11.6%#82 of 1,611
3Dorchester County, SC80243.8$1.2M+10.1%#87 of 1,611
4Berkeley County, SC80373.9$1.2M+18.7%#88 of 1,611
5Pickens County, SC79122.3$1.7M+5.7%#92 of 1,611
6Lancaster County, SC79133.2$1.5M+18.3%#93 of 1,611
7Horry County, SC76603.8$1M+20.9%#150 of 1,611
8Anderson County, SC75283.3$1.2M+7.7%#160 of 1,611
9Charleston County, SC74874.9$1.2M+6.4%#177 of 1,611
10Greenville County, SC731054.8$1M+10.6%#204 of 1,611
12York County, SC69625.4$1M+8.1%#295 of 1,611

Other business types in York County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many child care centers and preschools are in York County, SC?

There are 62 child care centers and preschools on map listings in York County as of September 2026. 11 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 64 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 36.2% from 2019. Official counts list 328 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in York County, SC spend on child care and other personal services?

About $62.6M a year, or $550 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 62 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 113,785 households in York County and national spending patterns by income.

How does York County, SC compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?

York County has 5.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1M, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,778 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 36.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.

How fast is York County, SC growing?

Population estimates put York County at 306,887 people in 2025, up 8.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 113,785 households. The median household income in York County is $89,095 a year, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.3% 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. York County scores 69 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #295 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in York 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 York County

Screening a site or an acquisition in York 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 York 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.