Child care · County · Tennessee
Child care centers and preschools in Knox County, TN
The child care centers and preschools in Knox County, TN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #401 of 1,611 scored counties
#20 of 48 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 104
- 12 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 101
- +2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $94.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $472 a household
- Spending per listing
- $912K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.2
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 511,453
- +6.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Knox 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 Knox 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 104 child care centers and preschools in Knox County. 12 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.2 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Knox County spend about $94.9M a year on child care and other personal services, or $472 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. That is about $912K of household spending for each center on map listings, 9% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 101 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Knox County in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,992 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 516 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $8.7M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Knox County.
Population estimates show Knox County grew 6.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Knox County scores 65 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #401 of 1,611 scored counties and #20 of 48 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Knox County compares
The same measures for Tennessee 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 | Knox County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $912K | $869K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,992 | 2,274 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.0% | +1.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.5% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $472 | $438 | $581 |
| Median household income | $74,222 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 99 → 101+2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,421
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $35.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 516Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10412 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 95The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $8.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Knox 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 Knox County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 511,453+6.5% since 2020
- Households
- 201,146
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 972
- Median household income
- $74,222+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,460
- Median home value
- $320,900
- Jobs located here
- 270,203
- Daytime population
- 541,810Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Knox 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 Knox 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 Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Knox County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Roane County, TN | 86 | 5 | 2.2 | $1.9M | +7.0% | #30 of 1,611 |
| 2Fayette County, TN | 82 | 7 | 4.1 | $1.2M | +7.7% | #67 of 1,611 |
| 3Blount County, TN | 78 | 22 | 4.0 | $1.1M | +6.0% | #121 of 1,611 |
| 4Wilson County, TN | 77 | 28 | 4.7 | $1.2M | +17.8% | #133 of 1,611 |
| 5Davidson County, TN | 76 | 146 | 4.5 | $1.1M | +4.2% | #148 of 1,611 |
| 6Williamson County, TN | 74 | 74 | 8.0 | $1M | +9.0% | #186 of 1,611 |
| 7Dickson County, TN | 73 | 10 | 4.6 | $953K | +7.7% | #205 of 1,611 |
| 8Maury County, TN | 72 | 20 | 4.7 | $938K | +16.0% | #223 of 1,611 |
| 9Anderson County, TN | 71 | 14 | 4.3 | $973K | +6.1% | #243 of 1,611 |
| 10McMinn County, TN | 70 | 6 | 2.8 | $1.3M | +7.6% | #255 of 1,611 |
| 20Knox County, TN | 65 | 104 | 5.2 | $912K | +6.5% | #401 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Knox 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 preschools65
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Knox County, TN?
There are 104 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Knox County as of September 2026. 12 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 101 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. Another 516 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Knox County, TN spend on child care and other personal services?
About $94.9M a year, or $472 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 104 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $912K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 201,146 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, TN compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Knox County has 5.2 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $912K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Knox County would have about 95, against 104 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,992 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 511,453 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 201,146 households. The median household income in Knox County is $74,222 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.2% 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. Knox County scores 65 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #401 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox 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 Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.