Child care · Metro area · Washington
Child care centers and preschools in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area
How the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #88 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 11 scored metro areas based in Washington
- Listings
- 1,277
- 134 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 1,434
- +8.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.6B
- On child care and other personal services · $1,000 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.9
- 36% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 4,161,883
- +3.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,277 child care centers and preschools in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.9, 36% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area spend about $1.6B a year on child care and other personal services, or $1,000 per household, 72% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.3M per center, 26% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area was 1,434 in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,122 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 4,366 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 74 SBA-backed loans worth $118.8M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area grew 3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #88 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 11 scored metro areas based in Washington. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.9 | 6.6 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.3M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,122 | 1,285 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.7% | +7.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $1,000 | $852 | $581 |
| Median household income | $115,177 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 70 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,434+8.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 13,692
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $503.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4,366Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,277134 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,606The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 74
- Amount
- $118.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 4,161,883+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 1,608,596
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 5,870 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 692
- Median household income
- $115,177+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $158,706
- Median home value
- $717,500
- Jobs located here
- 2,129,194
- Daytime population
- 4,229,343Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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 preschools64
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area?
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area has 1,277 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. 134 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 1,434 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 4,366 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area spend on child care and other personal services?
About $1.6B a year, or $1,000 per household. That is 72% above the U.S. average (an index of 172, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,277 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,608,596 households in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area has 7.9 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.3M, 26% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area would have about 1,606, against 1,277 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,122 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area at 4,161,883 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,608,596 households. The median household income in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area is $115,177 a year, 43% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.6% 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. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area scores 64 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #88 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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.