Child care · Metro area · Washington
Child care centers and preschools in the Bellingham, WA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in the Bellingham, WA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 81 out of 100: High
Ranked #17 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 11 scored metro areas based in Washington
- Listings
- 45
- 1 chain location (2%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- +2.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $65.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $695 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 45% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.8
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 236,392
- +3.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Bellingham metro area
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 the Bellingham metro area. 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
The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in the Bellingham metro area is 81 (high), #17 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 11 scored metro areas based in Washington. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for child care centers and preschools.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in the Bellingham metro area comes to about $65.3M a year: $695 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. Spread across 45 child care centers and preschools, that is $1.5M per center, 45% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
The Bellingham metro area has 45 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (2%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. That is 4.8 per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in the Bellingham metro area was 44 in 2023, up 2.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,137 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Bellingham metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Bellingham metro area compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Bellingham metro area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.8 | 6.6 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.3M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,137 | 1,285 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.3% | +7.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $695 | $852 | $581 |
| Median household income | $81,784 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 81 | 70 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 44+2.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 585
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 141Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 451 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 65The 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 the Bellingham metro area, 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 the Bellingham metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 236,392+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,021
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,108 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 109
- Median household income
- $81,784+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,611
- Median home value
- $585,800
- Jobs located here
- 90,570
- Daytime population
- 221,278Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bellingham metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Bellingham metro area. 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Washington for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Washington (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Bellingham metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bellingham, WA | 81 | 45 | 4.8 | $1.5M | +3.9% | #17 of 387 |
| 2Longview-Kelso, WA | 79 | 18 | 4.1 | $1.5M | +3.5% | #21 of 387 |
| 3Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 75 | 109 | 4.6 | $1.4M | +3.5% | #34 of 387 |
| 4Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 72 | 65 | 6.0 | $1.4M | +2.7% | #44 of 387 |
| 5Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | 71 | 21 | 4.4 | $1.6M | +5.0% | #52 of 387 |
| 6Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | 65 | 28 | 5.4 | $1.4M | +2.4% | #82 of 387 |
| 7Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 64 | 1,277 | 7.9 | $1.3M | +3.3% | #88 of 387 |
| 8Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 64 | 76 | 6.4 | $1.2M | +2.8% | #89 of 387 |
| 9Kennewick-Richland, WA | 61 | 70 | 6.5 | $1.1M | +6.5% | #108 of 387 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 53 | 751 | 7.4 | $1.1M | +1.0% | #175 of 387 |
Other business types in the Bellingham metro area
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 preschools81
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in the Bellingham, WA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 45 child care centers and preschools in the Bellingham metro area. One of them (2%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 2.3% from 2019. Official counts list 141 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Bellingham, WA metro area spend on child care and other personal services?
About $65.3M a year, or $695 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 45 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 94,021 households in the Bellingham metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bellingham, WA metro area compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Bellingham metro area 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 $1.5M, 45% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, the Bellingham metro area would have about 65, against 45 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,137 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Bellingham, WA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Bellingham metro area at 236,392 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 94,021 households. Median household income in the Bellingham metro area is $81,784, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.9%, 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. The Bellingham metro area scores 81 for child care centers and preschools (high), #17 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Bellingham metro area. 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 the Bellingham metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bellingham metro area?
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 the Bellingham metro area. 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.