Child care · County · Tennessee
Child care centers and preschools in Sullivan County, TN
How Sullivan County, TN 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 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #319 of 1,611 scored counties
#15 of 48 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 25
- 2 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $25.8M
- On child care and other personal services · $375 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.6
- 38% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 163,759
- +3.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 25 child care centers and preschools in Sullivan County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 8%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 3.6 for every 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Sullivan County comes to about $25.8M a year: $375 per household, 35% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1M per center, 3% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Sullivan County was 18 in 2023. That is one for every 3,828 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 113 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Sullivan County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Sullivan County scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #319 of 1,611 scored counties and #15 of 48 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Sullivan 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 | Sullivan County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.6 | 5.0 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $869K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,828 | 2,274 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $375 | $438 | $581 |
| Median household income | $58,807 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 18
- Employees, 2023
- 280
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 113Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 252 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 26The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Sullivan 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 Sullivan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 163,759+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 68,907
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 414 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 388
- Median household income
- $58,807+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,467
- Median home value
- $213,300
- Jobs located here
- 71,251
- Daytime population
- 164,416Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 |
| 15Sullivan County, TN | 68 | 25 | 3.6 | $1M | +3.5% | #319 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Sullivan 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 preschools68
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Sullivan County, TN?
There are 25 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Sullivan County as of September 2026. 2 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Another 113 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Sullivan County, TN spend on child care and other personal services?
About $25.8M a year, or $375 per household. That is 35% below the U.S. average (an index of 65, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 68,907 households in Sullivan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sullivan County, TN compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Sullivan County has 3.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1M, 3% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Sullivan County would have about 26, against 25 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,828 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Sullivan County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Sullivan County at 163,759 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 68,907 households. The median household income in Sullivan County is $58,807 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.0% 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. Sullivan County scores 68 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #319 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sullivan 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 Sullivan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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.