Child care · County · Virginia
Child care centers and preschools in Norfolk city, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Norfolk city, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,061 of 1,611 scored counties
#47 of 61 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 46
- 2 chain locations (4%)
- Official establishments
- 56
- +1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $39.8M
- On child care and other personal services · $419 a household
- Spending per listing
- $866K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.8
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 231,013
- −2.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Norfolk city
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 Norfolk city. 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
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Norfolk city comes to about $39.8M a year: $419 per household, 28% below the U.S. average. That works out to $866K per center, 14% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
Norfolk city has 46 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 4% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 4.8 per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Norfolk city in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,696 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts also show 407 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Norfolk city declined 2.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For child care centers and preschools, Norfolk city has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,061 of 1,611 scored counties and #47 of 61 scored counties in Virginia.
How Norfolk city 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 | Norfolk city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.8 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $866K | $1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,696 | 1,702 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.8% | +0.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $419 | $602 | $581 |
| Median household income | $66,109 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 55 → 56+1.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 571
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 407Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 462 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Norfolk city, 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 Norfolk city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 231,013−2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,965
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 46%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 53 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,385
- Median household income
- $66,109+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,610
- Median home value
- $289,900
- Jobs located here
- 130,869
- Daytime population
- 273,887Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Norfolk city?
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 Norfolk city. 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 Norfolk city 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 |
| 47Norfolk city, VA | 41 | 46 | 4.8 | $866K | −2.9% | #1,061 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Norfolk city
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 preschools41
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Norfolk city, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 46 child care centers and preschools in Norfolk city. 2 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. Another 407 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Norfolk city, VA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $39.8M a year, or $419 per household. That is 28% below the U.S. average (an index of 72, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $866K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 94,965 households in Norfolk city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Norfolk city, VA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Norfolk city has 4.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $866K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Norfolk city would have about 40, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,696 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Norfolk city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Norfolk city at 231,013 people in 2025, down 2.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 94,965 households. Median household income in Norfolk city is $66,109, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Norfolk city scores 41 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,061 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Norfolk city. 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 Norfolk city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Norfolk city?
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 Norfolk city. 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.