Child care · County · Virginia
Child care centers and preschools in Fairfax County, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Fairfax County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #656 of 1,611 scored counties
#37 of 61 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 375
- 45 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 362
- +3.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $378M
- On child care and other personal services · $913 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.1
- 57% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,167,873
- +1.7% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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 $913 per household (57% above the U.S. average), households in Fairfax County spend about $378M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $1M of household spending for each center on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 375 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Fairfax County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 12% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.1, 57% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Fairfax County was 362 in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,144 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 2,572 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $18.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Fairfax County.
Population estimates put the population change in Fairfax County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Fairfax County scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #656 of 1,611 scored counties and #37 of 61 scored counties in Virginia.
How Fairfax County compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Fairfax County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.1 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,144 | 1,702 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.1% | +0.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $913 | $602 | $581 |
| Median household income | $153,637 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 351 → 362+3.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,141
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $169.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,572Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 37545 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 377The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 22
- Amount
- $18.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Fairfax 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 Fairfax County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,167,873+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 414,101
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 391 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,935
- Median household income
- $153,637+23.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $195,941
- Median home value
- $732,800
- Jobs located here
- 683,496
- Daytime population
- 1,295,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Fairfax County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Frederick County, VA | 93 | 12 | 3.4 | $1.7M | +8.8% | #4 of 1,611 |
| 2Culpeper County, VA | 91 | 7 | 3.7 | $1.5M | +9.3% | #12 of 1,611 |
| 3Louisa County, VA | 87 | 5 | 3.2 | $1.6M | +13.6% | #25 of 1,611 |
| 4Suffolk city, VA | 86 | 15 | 4.0 | $1.4M | +10.4% | #34 of 1,611 |
| 5Bedford County, VA | 85 | 5 | 1.5 | $3.1M | +4.4% | #36 of 1,611 |
| 6Orange County, VA | 85 | 7 | 4.7 | $1.2M | +10.1% | #42 of 1,611 |
| 7Fauquier County, VA | 82 | 15 | 5.6 | $1.4M | +4.8% | #64 of 1,611 |
| 8James City County, VA | 78 | 15 | 4.7 | $1.4M | +6.2% | #114 of 1,611 |
| 9Richmond city, VA | 78 | 41 | 3.9 | $1.1M | +4.6% | #120 of 1,611 |
| 10Franklin County, VA | 77 | 6 | 2.6 | $1.6M | +1.9% | #127 of 1,611 |
| 37Fairfax County, VA | 56 | 375 | 9.1 | $1M | +1.7% | #656 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Fairfax 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 preschools56
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Fairfax County, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 375 child care centers and preschools in Fairfax County. 45 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 362 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 2,572 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Fairfax County, VA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $378M a year, or $913 per household. That is 57% above the U.S. average (an index of 157, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 375 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 414,101 households in Fairfax County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Fairfax County, VA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Fairfax 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 $1M, in line with the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Fairfax County would have about 377, against 375 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,144 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Fairfax County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Fairfax County at 1,167,873 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 414,101 households. Median household income in Fairfax County is $153,637, 90% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.1%, 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. Fairfax County scores 56 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #656 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Fairfax 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 Fairfax County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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.