Child care · County · South Dakota
Child care centers and preschools in Pennington County, SD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Pennington County, SD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,132 of 1,611 scored counties
#5 of 10 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 34
- 1 chain location (3%)
- Official establishments
- 32
- +10.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $18.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $402 a household
- Spending per listing
- $549K
- 45% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.3
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 116,792
- +6.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Pennington 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 Pennington 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 Pennington County spend about $18.7M a year on child care and other personal services, or $402 per household, 31% below the U.S. average. That works out to $549K per center, 45% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 34 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Pennington County as of September 2026. One of them (3%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.3, 26% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Pennington County was 32 in 2023, up 10.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,449 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 203 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $796K has gone to businesses classed as child care services in Pennington County.
Population estimates show Pennington County grew 6.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Pennington County has a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle): #1,132 of 1,611 scored counties and #5 of 10 scored counties in South Dakota.
How Pennington 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 | Pennington County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.3 | 6.7 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $549K | $598K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,449 | 1,306 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.3% | +11.6% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.6% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $402 | $399 | $581 |
| Median household income | $74,517 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29 → 32+10.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 514
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 203Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 341 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $796K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Pennington 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 Pennington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 116,792+6.6% since 2020
- Households
- 46,370
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,777 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 41
- Median household income
- $74,517+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,289
- Median home value
- $302,200
- Jobs located here
- 59,416
- Daytime population
- 120,445Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pennington 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 Pennington 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 Pennington 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 Pennington 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 preschools39
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Pennington County, SD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 34 child care centers and preschools in Pennington County. One of them (3%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 10.3% from 2019. Another 203 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Pennington County, SD spend on child care and other personal services?
About $18.7M a year, or $402 per household. That is 31% below the U.S. average (an index of 69, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $549K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 46,370 households in Pennington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pennington County, SD compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Pennington County has 7.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $549K, 45% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Pennington County would have about 19, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,449 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Pennington County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Pennington County at 116,792 people in 2025, up 6.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,370 households. Median household income in Pennington County is $74,517, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.6%, 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. Pennington County scores 39 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,132 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pennington 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 Pennington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pennington 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 Pennington 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.