Child care · County · Texas
Child care centers and preschools in Cameron County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Cameron County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 18 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,520 of 1,611 scored counties
#102 of 104 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 124
- 4 chain locations (3%)
- Official establishments
- 157
- +36.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $46M
- On child care and other personal services · $332 a household
- Spending per listing
- $371K
- 63% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.0
- 55% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 433,946
- +3.0% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Cameron 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 Cameron 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
Cameron County scores 18 (low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,520 of 1,611 scored counties and #102 of 104 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 124 child care centers and preschools in Cameron County. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 3%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 9.0 for every 10,000 households, 55% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $332 per household (43% below the U.S. average), households in Cameron County spend about $46M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 124 child care centers and preschools, that is $371K per center, 63% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 157 businesses with payroll in Cameron County classed as child care services, up 36.5% from 2019. That is one for every 882 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates show Cameron County grew 3.0% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Cameron County 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 | Cameron County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.0 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $371K | $916K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 882 | 1,761 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +36.5% | +10.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $332 | $507 | $581 |
| Median household income | $52,601 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 18 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 115 → 157+36.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,453
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $37.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,102Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1244 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 46The 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 Cameron 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 Cameron County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 433,946+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 138,433
- Median age
- 33.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 892 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 478
- Median household income
- $52,601+35.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,931
- Median home value
- $136,500
- Jobs located here
- 146,355
- Daytime population
- 405,619Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cameron 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 Cameron 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Texas for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Texas, with Cameron County marked.
Top counties in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waller County, TX | 93 | 5 | 2.7 | $2M | +21.9% | #3 of 1,611 |
| 2Kendall County, TX | 92 | 9 | 5.1 | $1.4M | +19.6% | #8 of 1,611 |
| 3Comal County, TX | 91 | 33 | 4.6 | $1.4M | +27.9% | #13 of 1,611 |
| 4Johnson County, TX | 88 | 23 | 3.5 | $1.4M | +20.5% | #23 of 1,611 |
| 5Montgomery County, TX | 86 | 119 | 4.8 | $1.3M | +24.9% | #35 of 1,611 |
| 6Rockwall County, TX | 85 | 22 | 5.3 | $1.4M | +28.9% | #39 of 1,611 |
| 7Hunt County, TX | 84 | 10 | 2.6 | $1.6M | +23.0% | #45 of 1,611 |
| 8Wise County, TX | 83 | 10 | 4.0 | $1.4M | +21.5% | #57 of 1,611 |
| 9Chambers County, TX | 82 | 7 | 4.1 | $1.6M | +22.6% | #63 of 1,611 |
| 10Midland County, TX | 81 | 29 | 4.3 | $1.4M | +10.0% | #71 of 1,611 |
| 102Cameron County, TX | 18 | 124 | 9.0 | $371K | +3.0% | #1,520 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Cameron 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 preschools18
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Cameron County, TX?
Cameron County has 124 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (3%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 157 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 36.5% from 2019. Another 1,102 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Cameron County, TX spend on child care and other personal services?
About $46M a year, or $332 per household. That is 43% below the U.S. average (an index of 57, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 124 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $371K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 138,433 households in Cameron County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cameron County, TX compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Cameron County has 9.0 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 55% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $371K, 63% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Cameron County would have about 46, against 124 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 882 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 36.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Cameron County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Cameron County at 433,946 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 138,433 households. The median household income in Cameron County is $52,601 a year, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.7% 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. Cameron County scores 18 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,520 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cameron 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 Cameron County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cameron 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 Cameron 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.