Child care · Small-town market · Washington
Child care centers and preschools in the Shelton, WA area
How the Shelton, WA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 89 out of 100: High
Ranked #5 of 454 scored small-town markets
#2 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Washington
- Listings
- 15
- 3 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $17.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $681 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 71,165
- +7.8% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in the Shelton 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 Shelton 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 Shelton area scores 89 (high) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #5 of 454 scored small-town markets and #2 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Washington. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for child care centers and preschools.
At $681 per household (17% above the U.S. average), households in the Shelton area spend about $17.7M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $1.2M of household spending for each center on map listings, 18% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 15 child care centers and preschools on map listings in the Shelton area as of September 2026. 3 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 5.8 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in the Shelton area classed as child care services. That is one for every 2,892 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Shelton area from 2020 to 2025 at +7.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Shelton 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 | Shelton area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.8 | 6.6 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.3M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,892 | 1,285 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.8% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $681 | $852 | $581 |
| Median household income | $83,270 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 89 | 70 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9
- Employees, 2023
- 92
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 37Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 153 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The 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 Shelton 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 Shelton area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 71,165+7.8% since 2020
- Households
- 26,029
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 960 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 71
- Median household income
- $83,270+44.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,630
- Median home value
- $411,800
- Jobs located here
- 13,833
- Daytime population
- 54,996Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Shelton area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Shelton 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 small-town markets in Washington for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Washington, with the Shelton area marked.
Top small-town markets in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Centralia, WA | 90 | 13 | 3.9 | $1.5M | +6.7% | #2 of 454 |
| 2Shelton, WA | 89 | 15 | 5.8 | $1.2M | +7.8% | #5 of 454 |
| 3Ellensburg, WA | 82 | 10 | 5.0 | $1.3M | +4.2% | #12 of 454 |
| 4Pullman, WA | 81 | 6 | 3.2 | $1.8M | +1.5% | #14 of 454 |
| 5Aberdeen, WA | 78 | 14 | 4.6 | $1.1M | +3.0% | #28 of 454 |
| 6Oak Harbor, WA | 77 | 19 | 5.3 | $1.4M | −1.5% | #32 of 454 |
| 7Port Angeles, WA | 71 | 17 | 4.9 | $1.2M | +1.1% | #65 of 454 |
| 8Moses Lake, WA | 65 | 19 | 5.4 | $1.1M | +6.3% | #113 of 454 |
Other business types in the Shelton 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 preschools89
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in the Shelton, WA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 15 child care centers and preschools in the Shelton area. 3 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Another 37 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Shelton, WA area spend on child care and other personal services?
About $17.7M a year, or $681 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,029 households in the Shelton area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Shelton, WA area compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
The Shelton area has 5.8 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.2M, 18% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, the Shelton area would have about 18, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,892 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is the Shelton, WA area growing?
Population estimates put the Shelton area at 71,165 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,029 households. Median household income in the Shelton area is $83,270, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 44.5%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Shelton area scores 89 for child care centers and preschools (high), #5 of 454 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Shelton 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 Shelton area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Shelton 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 Shelton 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.