Child care · County · Texas
Child care centers and preschools in Denton County, TX
How Denton County, TX 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 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #134 of 1,611 scored counties
#21 of 104 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 232
- 53 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 195
- +9.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $250M
- On child care and other personal services · $694 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.4
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,069,346
- +16.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Denton 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 Denton 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
Denton County scores 77 (high) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #134 of 1,611 scored counties and #21 of 104 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for child care centers and preschools.
Households in Denton County spend about $250M a year on child care and other personal services, or $694 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per center, 8% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Denton County has 232 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 53 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 6.4 per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 195 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Denton County in 2023, up 9.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,848 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 35 SBA-backed loans worth $50.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Denton County. Population estimates put the population change in Denton County from 2020 to 2025 at +16.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Denton 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 | Denton County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.4 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $916K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,848 | 1,761 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.6% | +10.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +16.9% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $694 | $507 | $581 |
| Median household income | $111,498 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 178 → 195+9.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,379
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $93.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,196Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23253 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 250The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 35
- Amount
- $50.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Denton 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 Denton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,069,346+16.9% since 2020
- Households
- 360,392
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 878 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,115
- Median household income
- $111,498+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $145,847
- Median home value
- $437,200
- Jobs located here
- 321,359
- Daytime population
- 759,111Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Denton 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 Denton 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 Denton 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 |
| 21Denton County, TX | 77 | 232 | 6.4 | $1.1M | +16.9% | #134 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Denton 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 preschools77
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Denton County, TX?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 232 child care centers and preschools in Denton County. 53 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 195 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 9.6% from 2019. Another 1,196 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Denton County, TX spend on child care and other personal services?
About $250M a year, or $694 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 232 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 360,392 households in Denton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Denton County, TX compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Denton County has 6.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.1M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Denton County would have about 250, against 232 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,848 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Denton County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Denton County at 1,069,346 people in 2025, up 16.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 360,392 households. Median household income in Denton County is $111,498, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.3%, 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. Denton County scores 77 for child care centers and preschools (high), #134 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Denton 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 Denton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Denton 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 Denton 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.