Child care · County · South Dakota
Child care centers and preschools in Lincoln County, SD
How Lincoln County, SD compares with other counties and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #993 of 1,611 scored counties
#4 of 10 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 26
- 2 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- +20.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $14.4M
- On child care and other personal services · $515 a household
- Spending per listing
- $553K
- 45% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.3
- 60% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 77,145
- +17.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 26 child care centers and preschools in Lincoln County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 8%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 9.3 per 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $515 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in Lincoln County spend about $14.4M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 26 child care centers and preschools, that is $553K per center, 45% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Lincoln County was 24 in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,162 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Another 149 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $5.5M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Lincoln County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lincoln County grew 17.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Lincoln County has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #993 of 1,611 scored counties and #4 of 10 scored counties in South Dakota.
How Lincoln County compares
The same measures for South Dakota 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 | Lincoln County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.3 | 6.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $553K | $598K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,162 | 1,306 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.0% | +11.6% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +17.5% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $515 | $399 | $581 |
| Median household income | $99,166 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 24+20.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 755
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 149Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 262 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $5.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 77,145+17.5% since 2020
- Households
- 27,879
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 577 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 122
- Median household income
- $99,166+20.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $132,275
- Median home value
- $348,300
- Jobs located here
- 29,510
- Daytime population
- 60,089Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Dakota
Every South Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Dakota for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with Lincoln County marked.
Top counties in South Dakota
| 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 |
Other business types in Lincoln 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 preschools44
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Lincoln County, SD?
There are 26 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Lincoln County as of September 2026. 2 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. Official counts list 149 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lincoln County, SD spend on child care and other personal services?
About $14.4M a year, or $515 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $553K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,879 households in Lincoln County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lincoln County, SD compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Lincoln County has 9.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $553K, 45% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Lincoln County would have about 14, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,162 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Lincoln County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Lincoln County at 77,145 people in 2025, up 17.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,879 households. The median household income in Lincoln County is $99,166 a year, 23% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.2% 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. Lincoln County scores 44 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #993 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.