Child care · Small-town market · Texas
Child care centers and preschools in the Bay City, TX area
The child care centers and preschools in the Bay City, TX area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #89 of 454 scored small-town markets
#12 of 26 scored small-town markets based in Texas
- Listings
- 6
- 2 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6M
- On child care and other personal services · $389 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.9
- 33% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,463
- +0.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Bay City 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 Bay City 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 6 child care centers and preschools in the Bay City area. 2 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 3.9 for every 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $389 per household (33% below the U.S. average), households in the Bay City area spend about $6M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $1M per center, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in the Bay City area in 2023. That is one for every 3,088 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 97 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show the Bay City area grew 0.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Bay City area scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #89 of 454 scored small-town markets and #12 of 26 scored small-town markets based in Texas. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Bay City area compares
The same measures for Texas 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 | Bay City area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.9 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $916K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,088 | 1,761 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $389 | $507 | $581 |
| Median household income | $58,628 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5
- Employees, 2023
- 49
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $827K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 97Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 62 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The 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 the Bay City 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 Bay City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,463+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 15,439
- Median age
- 37.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,093 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 33
- Median household income
- $58,628+19.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,037
- Median home value
- $172,900
- Jobs located here
- 10,447
- Daytime population
- 29,261Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bay City area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Bay City 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Texas for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Texas, with the Bay City area marked.
Top small-town markets in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brenham, TX | 86 | 6 | 3.9 | $1.2M | +7.0% | #8 of 454 |
| 2Granbury, TX | 79 | 13 | 5.1 | $1M | +13.6% | #23 of 454 |
| 3Sulphur Springs, TX | 79 | 6 | 4.3 | $951K | +6.1% | #24 of 454 |
| 4Gainesville, TX | 73 | 9 | 5.4 | $869K | +6.5% | #56 of 454 |
| 5Nacogdoches, TX | 72 | 8 | 3.2 | $1.1M | +2.2% | #62 of 454 |
| 6Jacksonville, TX | 71 | 7 | 3.8 | $989K | +5.4% | #70 of 454 |
| 7Athens, TX | 71 | 16 | 4.8 | $828K | +7.5% | #71 of 454 |
| 8Paris, TX | 70 | 10 | 4.0 | $943K | +2.6% | #76 of 454 |
| 9Mineral Wells, TX | 69 | 6 | 5.3 | $734K | +8.2% | #82 of 454 |
| 10Huntsville, TX | 68 | 8 | 3.1 | $1.1M | +9.5% | #86 of 454 |
| 12Bay City, TX | 68 | 6 | 3.9 | $1M | +0.5% | #89 of 454 |
Other business types in the Bay City 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 preschools68
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in the Bay City, TX area?
The Bay City area has 6 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 97 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Bay City, TX area spend on child care and other personal services?
About $6M a year, or $389 per household. That is 33% below the U.S. average (an index of 67, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,439 households in the Bay City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bay City, TX area compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Bay City area has 3.9 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1M, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,088 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is the Bay City, TX area growing?
Population estimates put the Bay City area at 36,463 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,439 households. The median household income in the Bay City area is $58,628 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.9% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Bay City area scores 68 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #89 of 454 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Bay City 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 Bay City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bay City 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 Bay City 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.