Child care · County · Texas
Child care centers and preschools in Harris County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Harris County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #526 of 1,611 scored counties
#54 of 104 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 996
- 162 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 1,028
- +10.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $882.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $502 a household
- Spending per listing
- $886K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.7
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 5,045,026
- +6.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Harris 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 Harris 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 996 child care centers and preschools in Harris County. Of those, 162 are chain locations, or 16%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 5.7 per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Harris County comes to about $882.7M a year: $502 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $886K per center, 12% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Harris County was 1,028 in 2023, up 10.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,709 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 10,778 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 112 SBA-backed loans worth $142.9M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Harris County.
Population estimates show Harris County grew 6.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Harris County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #526 of 1,611 scored counties and #54 of 104 scored counties in Texas.
How Harris 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 | Harris County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.7 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $886K | $916K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,709 | 1,761 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.1% | +10.1% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.6% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $502 | $507 | $581 |
| Median household income | $74,983 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 934 → 1,028+10.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 16,687
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $422.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10,778Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 996162 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 881The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 112
- Amount
- $142.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Harris 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 Harris County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 5,045,026+6.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,757,164
- Median age
- 35.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,707 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,834
- Median household income
- $74,983+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $111,440
- Median home value
- $276,600
- Jobs located here
- 2,547,424
- Daytime population
- 5,303,910Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Harris 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 Harris 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 Harris 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 |
| 54Harris County, TX | 61 | 996 | 5.7 | $886K | +6.6% | #526 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Harris 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 preschools61
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Harris County, TX?
Harris County has 996 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 162 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 1,028 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 10.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 10,778 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Harris County, TX spend on child care and other personal services?
About $882.7M a year, or $502 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 996 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $886K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,757,164 households in Harris County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Harris County, TX compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Harris County has 5.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $886K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Harris County would have about 881, against 996 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,709 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Harris County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Harris County at 5,045,026 people in 2025, up 6.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,757,164 households. The median household income in Harris County is $74,983 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.5% 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. Harris County scores 61 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #526 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Harris 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 Harris County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Harris 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 Harris 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.