Child care · County · South Dakota
Child care centers and preschools in Minnehaha County, SD
How Minnehaha 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 #983 of 1,611 scored counties
#3 of 10 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 50
- 2 chain locations (4%)
- Official establishments
- 69
- +17.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $35.4M
- On child care and other personal services · $418 a household
- Spending per listing
- $709K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.9
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 212,691
- +7.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha 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
At $418 per household (28% below the U.S. average), households in Minnehaha County spend about $35.4M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $709K of household spending for each center on map listings, 29% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 50 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Minnehaha County as of September 2026. 2 of them (4%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.9 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 69 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Minnehaha County in 2023, up 17.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,229 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 381 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Minnehaha County.
Population estimates put the population change in Minnehaha County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Minnehaha County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #983 of 1,611 scored counties and #3 of 10 scored counties in South Dakota.
How Minnehaha 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 | Minnehaha County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.9 | 6.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $709K | $598K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,229 | 1,306 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.0% | +11.6% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.6% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $418 | $399 | $581 |
| Median household income | $76,880 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 59 → 69+17.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,564
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $36.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 381Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 502 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 212,691+7.6% since 2020
- Households
- 84,814
- Median age
- 36.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 807 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 252
- Median household income
- $76,880+24.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,921
- Median home value
- $287,600
- Jobs located here
- 135,684
- Daytime population
- 228,682Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha County, SD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 50 child care centers and preschools in Minnehaha County. 2 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 69 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 17.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 381 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Minnehaha County, SD spend on child care and other personal services?
About $35.4M a year, or $418 per household. That is 28% below the U.S. average (an index of 72, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 50 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $709K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 84,814 households in Minnehaha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Minnehaha County, SD compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Minnehaha County has 5.9 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $709K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Minnehaha County would have about 35, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,229 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Minnehaha County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Minnehaha County at 212,691 people in 2025, up 7.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 84,814 households. Median household income in Minnehaha County is $76,880, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.5%, 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. Minnehaha County scores 44 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #983 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha 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.