Market rankings · South Dakota
Child care centers and preschools in South Dakota
Every metro area, small-town market and county in South Dakota, ranked by the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 244
- 15 chain locations (6%)
- Official establishments
- 280
- +11.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $145.9M
- On child care and other personal services
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.7
- 16% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $598K
- 40% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #46 of 51
- Market score 26 · Lower middle
A site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings around any address in South Dakota 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
There are 244 child care centers and preschools on map listings in South Dakota as of September 2026. 15 of them (6%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 6.7 for every 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $399 per household (31% below the U.S. average), households in South Dakota spend about $145.9M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $598K of household spending for each center on map listings, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 280 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in South Dakota in 2023, up 11.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,306 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, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $10.7M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in South Dakota.
Among the 50 states and DC, South Dakota ranks #46 for child care centers and preschools, with a Groundwork market score of 26 (lower middle). Of the 3 scored metro areas in or partly in South Dakota, the Sioux Falls metro area scores highest (34). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Dakota, the Watertown area scores highest (64).
Every market in South Dakota for child care centers and preschools
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in South Dakota, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 34 | 85 | 6.9 | $632K | +9.5% | #304 of 387 |
| 2Rapid City, SD | 32 | 43 | 6.8 | $588K | +6.2% | #324 of 387 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 27 | 44 | 7.9 | $496K | +1.0% | #349 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Watertown, SD | 64 | 6 | 4.8 | $723K | +4.3% | #118 of 454 |
| 2Spearfish, SD | 54 | 6 | 5.0 | $749K | +14.0% | #201 of 454 |
| 3Aberdeen, SD | 40 | 14 | 7.8 | $501K | −1.5% | #318 of 454 |
| 4Mitchell, SD | 37 | 5 | 4.6 | $774K | +0.6% | #333 of 454 |
| 5Brookings, SD | 37 | 11 | 8.0 | $470K | +9.6% | #341 of 454 |
| 6Pierre, SD | 26 | 8 | 9.4 | $439K | −0.5% | #403 of 454 |
| Yankton, SD | Not scored | 3 | 3.1 | $1.2M | +1.5% | |
| Huron, SD | Not scored | 4 | 5.3 | $662K | +2.4% | |
| Vermillion, SD | Not scored | 3 | 5.4 | $666K | +0.2% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Codington County, SD | 56 | 6 | 4.8 | $723K | +4.3% | #673 of 1,611 |
| 2Lawrence County, SD | 46 | 6 | 5.0 | $749K | +14.0% | #927 of 1,611 |
| 3Minnehaha County, SD | 44 | 50 | 5.9 | $709K | +7.6% | #983 of 1,611 |
| 4Lincoln County, SD | 44 | 26 | 9.3 | $553K | +17.5% | #993 of 1,611 |
| 5Pennington County, SD | 39 | 34 | 7.3 | $549K | +6.6% | #1,132 of 1,611 |
| 6Meade County, SD | 37 | 7 | 5.8 | $673K | +2.7% | #1,166 of 1,611 |
| 7Brown County, SD | 35 | 14 | 8.6 | $449K | −1.7% | #1,235 of 1,611 |
| 8Union County, SD | 33 | 9 | 12.3 | $399K | +3.3% | #1,286 of 1,611 |
| 9Brookings County, SD | 31 | 11 | 8.0 | $470K | +9.6% | #1,321 of 1,611 |
| 10Hughes County, SD | 23 | 8 | 11.0 | $379K | −0.9% | #1,445 of 1,611 |
| Yankton County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 3.1 | $1.2M | +1.5% | |
| Davison County, SD | Not scored | 4 | 4.5 | $762K | +0.6% | |
| Beadle County, SD | Not scored | 4 | 5.3 | $662K | +2.4% | |
| Clay County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 5.4 | $666K | +0.2% | |
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.3% | |
| Lake County, SD | Not scored | 4 | 8.5 | $478K | −0.2% | |
| Butte County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 7.0 | $580K | +5.5% | |
| Roberts County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 5.5 | $625K | −0.1% | |
| Charles Mix County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 9.9 | $370K | −0.5% | |
| Todd County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 3.9 | $720K | −4.9% | |
| Custer County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 4.5 | $952K | +13.2% | |
| Turner County, SD | Not scored | 4 | 11.2 | $319K | +7.3% | |
| Grant County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 3.3 | $1.1M | 0.0% | |
| Hutchinson County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 10.3 | $397K | −0.1% | |
| Fall River County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 5.5 | $575K | +7.1% |
Show all 66 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Homme County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 4.1 | $767K | +3.8% | |
| Moody County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 7.8 | $509K | +4.5% | |
| Hamlin County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 4.6 | $881K | +11.9% | |
| Spink County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 4.0 | $925K | −3.0% | |
| McCook County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 9.0 | $481K | +5.2% | |
| Tripp County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 8.9 | $362K | +1.8% | |
| Day County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 8.4 | $463K | +0.8% | |
| Brule County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 15.3 | $257K | +0.5% | |
| Walworth County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.4% | |
| Kingsbury County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 14.2 | $258K | +1.6% | |
| Dewey County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 5.9 | $526K | +3.8% | |
| Marshall County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +2.9% | |
| Deuel County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 5.7 | $651K | +2.6% | |
| Edmunds County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +1.0% | |
| Gregory County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 6.2 | $556K | +1.1% | |
| Clark County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 7.5 | $461K | +4.7% | |
| Corson County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.8% | |
| Lyman County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 8.4 | $465K | −0.1% | |
| Hanson County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 8.8 | $465K | −0.3% | |
| Bennett County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.6% | |
| Hand County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 14.2 | $267K | −0.7% | |
| Stanley County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +1.8% | |
| Perkins County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 22.9 | $165K | +0.9% | |
| Douglas County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 8.8 | $506K | +1.9% | |
| Jackson County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.7% | |
| Aurora County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +2.6% | |
| Potter County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.8% | |
| Sanborn County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +2.5% | |
| Ziebach County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.1% | |
| Miner County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 10.7 | $352K | −0.8% | |
| McPherson County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.2% | |
| Faulk County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 34.8 | $105K | +2.4% | |
| Mellette County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +11.5% | |
| Buffalo County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 19.7 | $159K | −6.8% | |
| Jerauld County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +0.6% | |
| Haakon County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.6% | |
| Campbell County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.1% | |
| Sully County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +1.9% | |
| Hyde County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.6% | |
| Harding County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +2.2% | |
| Jones County, SD | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.5% |
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 Dakota?
As of September 2026, map listings count 244 child care centers and preschools in South Dakota. 15 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 280 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 11.6% from 2019. Official counts list 2,013 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in South Dakota spend on child care and other personal services?
About $145.9M a year, or $399 per household. That is 31% below the U.S. average (an index of 69, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 244 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $598K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 365,544 households in South Dakota and national spending patterns by income.
How does South Dakota compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
South Dakota has 6.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $598K, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, South Dakota would have about 146, against 244 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,306 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
Which market in South Dakota has the highest market score for child care centers and preschools?
Among 3 scored metro areas in or partly in South Dakota, the Sioux Falls metro area scores highest, at 34 (lower middle). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Dakota, the Watertown area scores highest, at 64 (upper middle). Among 10 scored counties in South Dakota, Codington County scores highest, at 56 (upper middle). 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 Dakota scores 26 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #46 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 Dakota. 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 Dakota
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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.