Child care · County · Texas
Child care centers and preschools in Ector County, TX
The child care centers and preschools in Ector County, TX, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #116 of 1,611 scored counties
#18 of 104 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 22
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 26
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $29M
- On child care and other personal services · $450 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 32% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.4
- 41% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 173,801
- +5.0% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Ector 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 Ector 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
Ector County scores 78 (high) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #116 of 1,611 scored counties and #18 of 104 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for child care centers and preschools.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22 child care centers and preschools in Ector County. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 3.4 for every 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $450 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in Ector County spend about $29M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each center on map listings, 32% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 26 businesses with payroll in Ector County classed as child care services, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 2,483 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Ector County. Population estimates show Ector County grew 5.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Ector 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 | Ector County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.4 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $916K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,483 | 1,761 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +10.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $450 | $507 | $581 |
| Median household income | $71,536 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26 → 260.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 406
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 189Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 220 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 29The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Ector 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 Ector County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 173,801+5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 64,563
- Median age
- 32.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 898 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 183
- Median household income
- $71,536+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,485
- Median home value
- $200,200
- Jobs located here
- 73,944
- Daytime population
- 162,861Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ector 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 Ector 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 Ector 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 |
| 18Ector County, TX | 78 | 22 | 3.4 | $1.3M | +5.0% | #116 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Ector 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 preschools78
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Ector County, TX?
There are 22 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Ector County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 189 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ector County, TX spend on child care and other personal services?
About $29M a year, or $450 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 64,563 households in Ector County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ector County, TX compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Ector County has 3.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.3M, 32% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Ector County would have about 29, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,483 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Ector County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Ector County at 173,801 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 64,563 households. The median household income in Ector County is $71,536 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% 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. Ector County scores 78 for child care centers and preschools (high), #116 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ector 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 Ector County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ector 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 Ector 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.