Child care · County · West Virginia
Child care centers and preschools in Kanawha County, WV
How Kanawha County, WV compares with other counties and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #764 of 1,611 scored counties
#4 of 17 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 28
- 2 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 31
- −6.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $28.9M
- On child care and other personal services · $379 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.7
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 172,381
- −4.3% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 28 child care centers and preschools in Kanawha County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 7%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 3.7 per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Households in Kanawha County spend about $28.9M a year on child care and other personal services, or $379 per household, 35% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1M per center, 3% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 31 businesses with payroll in Kanawha County classed as child care services, down 6.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,466 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 176 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Kanawha County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For child care centers and preschools, Kanawha County has a Groundwork market score of 52 (upper middle): #764 of 1,611 scored counties and #4 of 17 scored counties in West Virginia.
How Kanawha County compares
The same measures for West 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 | Kanawha County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.7 | 3.6 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,466 | 1,790 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.1% | +9.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.3% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $379 | $374 | $581 |
| Median household income | $60,943 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 33 → 31−6.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 707
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 176Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 282 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 29The 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 Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 172,381−4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 76,459
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 902 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 196
- Median household income
- $60,943+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,041
- Median home value
- $147,300
- Jobs located here
- 104,812
- Daytime population
- 206,412Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Kanawha County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Monongalia County, WV | 69 | 17 | 3.8 | $1.2M | +2.0% | #281 of 1,611 |
| 2Jefferson County, WV | 66 | 13 | 5.7 | $1M | +9.2% | #367 of 1,611 |
| 3Berkeley County, WV | 65 | 20 | 3.9 | $1.2M | +13.7% | #392 of 1,611 |
| 4Kanawha County, WV | 52 | 28 | 3.7 | $1M | −4.3% | #764 of 1,611 |
| 5Cabell County, WV | 49 | 15 | 3.8 | $986K | −3.2% | #838 of 1,611 |
| 6Ohio County, WV | 45 | 6 | 3.3 | $1.2M | −4.4% | #947 of 1,611 |
| 7Putnam County, WV | 45 | 13 | 5.6 | $875K | −1.0% | #955 of 1,611 |
| 8Harrison County, WV | 41 | 9 | 3.4 | $1.1M | −2.5% | #1,058 of 1,611 |
| 9Wood County, WV | 40 | 13 | 3.6 | $982K | −2.1% | #1,090 of 1,611 |
| 10Marshall County, WV | 39 | 5 | 4.0 | $859K | −4.4% | #1,122 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Kanawha 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 preschools52
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Kanawha County, WV?
There are 28 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Kanawha County as of September 2026. 2 of them (7%) 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 6.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 176 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kanawha County, WV spend on child care and other personal services?
About $28.9M a year, or $379 per household. That is 35% below the U.S. average (an index of 65, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 76,459 households in Kanawha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kanawha County, WV compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Kanawha County has 3.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1M, 3% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Kanawha County would have about 29, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,466 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Kanawha County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Kanawha County at 172,381 people in 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 76,459 households. The median household income in Kanawha County is $60,943 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Kanawha County scores 52 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #764 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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.