Child care · Metro area · Tennessee
Child care centers and preschools in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area
The child care centers and preschools in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #43 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee
- Listings
- 441
- 91 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 346
- −6.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $440.2M
- On child care and other personal services · $531 a household
- Spending per listing
- $998K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.3
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,197,416
- +8.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area
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 the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 441 child care centers and preschools in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area. 91 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 5.3 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area spend about $440.2M a year on child care and other personal services, or $531 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $998K of household spending for each center on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 346 businesses with payroll in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area classed as child care services, down 6.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,396 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 2,482 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $27.9M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +8.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area is 73 (upper middle), #43 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area 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 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.3 | 5.0 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $998K | $869K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,396 | 2,274 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.0% | +1.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.7% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $531 | $438 | $581 |
| Median household income | $85,447 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 346−6.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,545
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $155M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,482Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 44191 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 439The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 18
- Amount
- $27.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area, 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 the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,197,416+8.7% since 2020
- Households
- 829,134
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 6,302 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 330
- Median household income
- $85,447
- Average household income
- $117,563
- Median home value
- $409,600
- Jobs located here
- 1,132,736
- Daytime population
- 2,203,082Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area. 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 metro areas in Tennessee for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Knoxville, TN | 74 | 154 | 4.1 | $1.1M | +6.9% | #36 of 387 |
| 2Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 73 | 441 | 5.3 | $998K | +8.7% | #43 of 387 |
| 3Johnson City, TN | 65 | 30 | 3.4 | $1.1M | +4.3% | #85 of 387 |
| 4Morristown, TN | 64 | 18 | 3.8 | $956K | +7.9% | #92 of 387 |
| 5Chattanooga, TN-GA | 60 | 120 | 5.2 | $871K | +5.3% | #121 of 387 |
| 6Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 58 | 46 | 3.5 | $1M | +2.3% | #139 of 387 |
| 7Cleveland, TN | 48 | 19 | 3.8 | $1M | +6.1% | #206 of 387 |
| 8Clarksville, TN-KY | 34 | 78 | 6.2 | $626K | +8.5% | #305 of 387 |
| 9Jackson, TN | 30 | 40 | 5.5 | $661K | +2.2% | #330 of 387 |
| 10Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 29 | 330 | 6.3 | $694K | −0.3% | #334 of 387 |
Other business types in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area
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 preschools73
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area?
The Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area has 441 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 91 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 346 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 6.0% from 2019. Another 2,482 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area spend on child care and other personal services?
About $440.2M a year, or $531 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 441 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $998K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 829,134 households in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area has 5.3 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $998K, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area would have about 439, against 441 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,396 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area at 2,197,416 people in 2025, up 8.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 829,134 households. The median household income in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area is $85,447 a year, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area scores 73 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #43 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area. 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 the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area?
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 the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area. 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.