Child care · County · Vermont
Child care centers and preschools in Chittenden County, VT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Chittenden County, VT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,099 of 1,611 scored counties
#6 of 12 scored counties in Vermont
- Listings
- 65
- 3 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 85
- +30.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $49.1M
- On child care and other personal services · $687 a household
- Spending per listing
- $755K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.1
- 57% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,115
- +0.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Chittenden 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 Chittenden 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
At $687 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in Chittenden County spend about $49.1M a year on child care and other personal services. Spread across 65 child care centers and preschools, that is $755K per center, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Chittenden County has 65 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 5%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 9.1 per 10,000 households, 57% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Chittenden County was 85 in 2023, up 30.8% from 2019. That is one for every 841 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 168 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Chittenden County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Chittenden County grew 0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Chittenden County scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,099 of 1,611 scored counties and #6 of 12 scored counties in Vermont.
How Chittenden County compares
The same measures for Vermont 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 | Chittenden County | Vermont | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.1 | 8.0 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $755K | $727K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 841 | 1,005 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +30.8% | +11.5% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $687 | $583 | $581 |
| Median household income | $96,759 | $81,203 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 23 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 65 → 85+30.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,114
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $36.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 168Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 653 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The 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 Chittenden 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 Chittenden County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,115+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 71,456
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 537 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 316
- Median household income
- $96,759+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,699
- Median home value
- $439,200
- Jobs located here
- 103,357
- Daytime population
- 189,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Chittenden 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 Chittenden 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 Vermont
Every Vermont market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Vermont for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Vermont, with Chittenden County marked.
Top counties in Vermont
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Orange County, VT | 51 | 7 | 5.5 | $985K | +2.4% | #791 of 1,611 |
| 2Washington County, VT | 48 | 16 | 6.2 | $927K | −0.2% | #869 of 1,611 |
| 3Lamoille County, VT | 43 | 8 | 6.7 | $827K | +1.4% | #1,003 of 1,611 |
| 4Franklin County, VT | 42 | 15 | 7.5 | $724K | +2.3% | #1,040 of 1,611 |
| 5Addison County, VT | 41 | 13 | 8.7 | $693K | +1.8% | #1,070 of 1,611 |
| 6Chittenden County, VT | 40 | 65 | 9.1 | $755K | +0.4% | #1,099 of 1,611 |
| 7Orleans County, VT | 34 | 9 | 7.5 | $645K | +0.7% | #1,244 of 1,611 |
| 8Rutland County, VT | 34 | 23 | 9.1 | $544K | −1.4% | #1,253 of 1,611 |
| 9Windsor County, VT | 33 | 23 | 9.1 | $646K | −0.7% | #1,268 of 1,611 |
| 10Caledonia County, VT | 32 | 10 | 7.6 | $636K | +0.8% | #1,293 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Chittenden 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 preschools40
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Chittenden County, VT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 65 child care centers and preschools in Chittenden County. 3 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 30.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 168 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Chittenden County, VT spend on child care and other personal services?
About $49.1M a year, or $687 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 65 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $755K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 71,456 households in Chittenden County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Chittenden County, VT compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Chittenden County has 9.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 57% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $755K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Chittenden County would have about 49, against 65 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 841 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 30.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Chittenden County, VT growing?
Population estimates put Chittenden County at 169,115 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 71,456 households. Median household income in Chittenden County is $96,759, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.4%, 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. Chittenden County scores 40 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,099 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chittenden 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 Chittenden County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Chittenden 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 Chittenden 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.