Child care · County · West Virginia
Child care centers and preschools in Mercer County, WV
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for child care centers and preschools in Mercer County, WV, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,388 of 1,611 scored counties
#16 of 17 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 13
- 1 chain location (8%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $7.7M
- On child care and other personal services · $320 a household
- Spending per listing
- $595K
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,503
- −3.4% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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
Mercer County scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,388 of 1,611 scored counties and #16 of 17 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 child care centers and preschools in Mercer County. One of them (8%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.4, 7% below the U.S. rate of 5.8.
At $320 per household (45% below the U.S. average), households in Mercer County spend about $7.7M a year on child care and other personal services. That works out to $595K per center, 41% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Mercer County classed as child care services. That is one for every 2,019 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $230K have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Mercer County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mercer County declined 3.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Mercer 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 | Mercer County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 3.6 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $595K | $1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,019 | 1,790 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.4% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.4% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $320 | $374 | $581 |
| Median household income | $53,210 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 220
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 153Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 131 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $230K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,503−3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 24,224
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 419 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 140
- Median household income
- $53,210+30.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,510
- Median home value
- $121,700
- Jobs located here
- 19,809
- Daytime population
- 57,149Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 |
| 16Mercer County, WV | 27 | 13 | 5.4 | $595K | −3.4% | #1,388 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Mercer 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 preschools27
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Mercer County, WV?
Mercer County has 13 child care centers and preschools on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (8%) is a chain location. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023. Official counts also show 153 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mercer County, WV spend on child care and other personal services?
About $7.7M a year, or $320 per household. That is 45% below the U.S. average (an index of 55, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $595K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,224 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, WV compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Mercer County has 5.4 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $595K, 41% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Mercer County would have about 8, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,019 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S.
How fast is Mercer County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 57,503 people in 2025, down 3.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 24,224 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $53,210 a year, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.5% 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. Mercer County scores 27 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,388 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.