Groundwork

Child care · County · Washington

Child care centers and preschools in Spokane County, WA

The child care centers and preschools in Spokane County, WA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #154 of 1,611 scored counties
#9 of 30 scored counties in Washington

Listings
103
6 chain locations (6%)
Official establishments
118
−4.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$142.6M
On child care and other personal services · $653 a household
Spending per listing
$1.4M
38% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.7
19% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
558,344
+3.2% since 2020

See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Spokane 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 Spokane County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 Spokane County is 75 (high), #154 of 1,611 scored counties and #9 of 30 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for child care centers and preschools.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 103 child care centers and preschools in Spokane County. Chain locations make up 6% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.7 for every 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.

At $653 per household (12% above the U.S. average), households in Spokane County spend about $142.6M a year on child care and other personal services. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each center on map listings, 38% above the U.S. figure of $1M.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Spokane County was 118 in 2023, down 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,851 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.3M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Spokane County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Spokane County grew 3.2%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Spokane County 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.

Child care and preschools in Spokane County, WA compared with Washington and the U.S.
MeasureSpokane CountyWashingtonU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.76.65.8
Spending per listing$1.4M$1.3M$1M
Households per official establishment1,8511,2851,573
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−4.8%+7.4%+5.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.2%+3.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on child care and other personal services$653$852$581
Median household income$78,582$98,141$80,734
Groundwork market score7570

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
124 → 118−4.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,430
Annual payroll, 2023
$42.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
324Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1036 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
142The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$1.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Spokane 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 Spokane County

Population, 2025 estimate
558,344+3.2% since 2020
Households
218,395
Median age
39.7
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,764 sq. mi.
People per square mile
311
Median household income
$78,582+38.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$103,315
Median home value
$410,700
Jobs located here
243,284
Daytime population
557,028Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Spokane 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 Spokane County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Child care and preschools across Washington

Every Washington market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Washington for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Washington, with Spokane County marked.

Top counties in Washington

Counties in Washington ranked for child care centers and preschools by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Stevens County, WA9063.1$1.9M+6.6%#16 of 1,611
2Lewis County, WA87133.9$1.5M+6.7%#27 of 1,611
3Mason County, WA85155.8$1.2M+7.8%#41 of 1,611
4Whatcom County, WA81454.8$1.5M+3.9%#70 of 1,611
5Clark County, WA80824.2$1.9M+5.3%#78 of 1,611
6Cowlitz County, WA80184.1$1.5M+3.5%#80 of 1,611
7Kittitas County, WA79105.0$1.3M+4.2%#101 of 1,611
8Whitman County, WA7863.2$1.8M+1.5%#108 of 1,611
9Spokane County, WA751034.7$1.4M+3.2%#154 of 1,611
10Island County, WA75195.3$1.4M−1.5%#155 of 1,611

Other business types in Spokane County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many child care centers and preschools are in Spokane County, WA?

There are 103 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Spokane County as of September 2026. 6 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 118 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 4.8% from 2019. Another 324 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Spokane County, WA spend on child care and other personal services?

About $142.6M a year, or $653 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 103 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 218,395 households in Spokane County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Spokane County, WA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?

Spokane County has 4.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.4M, 38% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Spokane County would have about 142, against 103 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,851 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Spokane County, WA growing?

Population estimates put Spokane County at 558,344 people in 2025, up 3.2% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 218,395 households. The median household income in Spokane County is $78,582 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.1% 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. Spokane County scores 75 for child care centers and preschools (high), #154 of 1,611 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Spokane 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 Spokane County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Spokane 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 Spokane 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.