Child care · County · Virginia
Child care centers and preschools in Stafford County, VA
The child care centers and preschools in Stafford County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #146 of 1,611 scored counties
#12 of 61 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 37
- 9 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 31
- −8.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $42.8M
- On child care and other personal services · $818 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.1
- 22% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 170,803
- +8.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Stafford 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 Stafford 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
Stafford County scores 76 (high) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #146 of 1,611 scored counties and #12 of 61 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for child care centers and preschools.
As of September 2026, map listings count 37 child care centers and preschools in Stafford County. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 24%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 7.1 per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $818 per household (41% above the U.S. average), households in Stafford County spend about $42.8M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $1.2M per center, 15% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Stafford County in 2023, down 8.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,688 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $7.5M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Stafford County. Population estimates put the population change in Stafford County from 2020 to 2025 at +8.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Stafford 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 | Stafford County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.1 | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,688 | 1,702 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.8% | +0.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.3% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $818 | $602 | $581 |
| Median household income | $137,807 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34 → 31−8.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 429
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 210Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 379 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 43The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $7.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Stafford 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 Stafford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 170,803+8.3% since 2020
- Households
- 52,326
- Median age
- 37.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 269 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 609
- Median household income
- $137,807+24.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $160,926
- Median home value
- $485,100
- Jobs located here
- 42,246
- Daytime population
- 142,029Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stafford 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 Stafford 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 Stafford 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 |
| 12Stafford County, VA | 76 | 37 | 7.1 | $1.2M | +8.3% | #146 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Stafford 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 preschools76
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Stafford County, VA?
Stafford County has 37 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 8.8% from 2019. Another 210 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Stafford County, VA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $42.8M a year, or $818 per household. That is 41% above the U.S. average (an index of 141, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 37 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 52,326 households in Stafford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stafford County, VA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Stafford County has 7.1 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.2M, 15% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Stafford County would have about 43, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,688 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Stafford County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Stafford County at 170,803 people in 2025, up 8.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,326 households. The median household income in Stafford County is $137,807 a year, 71% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.0% 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. Stafford County scores 76 for child care centers and preschools (high), #146 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stafford 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 Stafford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stafford 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 Stafford 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.