Child care · County · Wisconsin
Child care centers and preschools in Dane County, WI
How Dane County, WI 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 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #853 of 1,611 scored counties
#22 of 45 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 165
- 31 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 202
- −4.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $128.6M
- On child care and other personal services · $511 a household
- Spending per listing
- $779K
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.6
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 590,375
- +4.9% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Dane 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 Dane 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 165 child care centers and preschools in Dane County. 31 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.6, 14% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Dane County comes to about $128.6M a year: $511 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $779K of household spending for each center on map listings, 22% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Dane County was 202 in 2023, down 4.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,245 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 807 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $25.2M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Dane County.
Population estimates show Dane County grew 4.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools in Dane County is 49 (lower middle), #853 of 1,611 scored counties and #22 of 45 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Dane County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Dane County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.6 | 5.1 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $779K | $832K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,245 | 1,561 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.7% | +0.3% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.9% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $511 | $422 | $581 |
| Median household income | $89,975 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 212 → 202−4.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,211
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $110.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 807Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16531 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 128The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 22
- Amount
- $25.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Dane 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 Dane County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 590,375+4.9% since 2020
- Households
- 251,529
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,197 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 479
- Median household income
- $89,975+21.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,712
- Median home value
- $394,800
- Jobs located here
- 369,475
- Daytime population
- 644,560Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dane 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 Dane 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Dane County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington County, WI | 74 | 18 | 3.2 | $1.6M | +1.8% | #169 of 1,611 |
| 2Door County, WI | 71 | 5 | 3.3 | $1.2M | +1.6% | #232 of 1,611 |
| 3Fond du Lac County, WI | 70 | 10 | 2.3 | $1.7M | +0.5% | #250 of 1,611 |
| 4Walworth County, WI | 70 | 13 | 3.0 | $1.5M | +0.8% | #251 of 1,611 |
| 5Marathon County, WI | 69 | 12 | 2.1 | $1.9M | +1.0% | #271 of 1,611 |
| 6Sauk County, WI | 69 | 7 | 2.5 | $1.6M | +1.3% | #274 of 1,611 |
| 7Manitowoc County, WI | 69 | 8 | 2.3 | $1.6M | +0.4% | #275 of 1,611 |
| 8Outagamie County, WI | 69 | 30 | 3.8 | $1.2M | +2.6% | #287 of 1,611 |
| 9Pierce County, WI | 67 | 7 | 4.4 | $1.1M | +3.1% | #340 of 1,611 |
| 10St. Croix County, WI | 67 | 21 | 5.6 | $987K | +4.7% | #342 of 1,611 |
| 22Dane County, WI | 49 | 165 | 6.6 | $779K | +4.9% | #853 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Dane 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 preschools49
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Dane County, WI?
There are 165 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Dane County as of September 2026. 31 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 202 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 4.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 807 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dane County, WI spend on child care and other personal services?
About $128.6M a year, or $511 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 165 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $779K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 251,529 households in Dane County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dane County, WI compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Dane County has 6.6 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $779K, 22% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the national ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Dane County would have about 128, against 165 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,245 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Dane County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Dane County at 590,375 people in 2025, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 251,529 households. The median household income in Dane County is $89,975 a year, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.8% 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. Dane County scores 49 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #853 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dane 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 Dane County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dane 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 Dane 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.