Child care · County · Virginia
Child care centers and preschools in Portsmouth city, VA
How Portsmouth city, VA compares with other counties and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,458 of 1,611 scored counties
#61 of 61 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 33
- 1 chain location (3%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- −13.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $14.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $363 a household
- Spending per listing
- $443K
- 56% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.2
- 41% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 96,777
- −1.2% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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
Portsmouth city scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,458 of 1,611 scored counties and #61 of 61 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 child care centers and preschools in Portsmouth city. One of them (3%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 8.2 for every 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Portsmouth city spend about $14.6M a year on child care and other personal services, or $363 per household, 38% below the U.S. average. That works out to $443K per center, 56% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Portsmouth city was 25 in 2023, down 13.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,612 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $647K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Portsmouth city. Population estimates show Portsmouth city declined 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Portsmouth 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 | Portsmouth city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.2 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $443K | $1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,612 | 1,702 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.8% | +0.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $363 | $602 | $581 |
| Median household income | $60,491 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29 → 25−13.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 197
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 230Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 331 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $647K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 96,777−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 40,288
- Median age
- 37.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 33 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,919
- Median household income
- $60,491+15.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,856
- Median home value
- $246,900
- Jobs located here
- 32,664
- Daytime population
- 87,378Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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 |
| 61Portsmouth city, VA | 22 | 33 | 8.2 | $443K | −1.2% | #1,458 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Portsmouth 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 preschools22
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Portsmouth city, VA?
There are 33 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Portsmouth city as of September 2026. One of them (3%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 13.8% from 2019. Another 230 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Portsmouth city, VA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $14.6M a year, or $363 per household. That is 38% below the U.S. average (an index of 62, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $443K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 40,288 households in Portsmouth city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Portsmouth city, VA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Portsmouth city has 8.2 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $443K, 56% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Portsmouth city would have about 15, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,612 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Portsmouth city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Portsmouth city at 96,777 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 40,288 households. The median household income in Portsmouth city is $60,491 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.9% 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. Portsmouth city scores 22 for child care centers and preschools (low), #1,458 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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.