Child day care centers by state, 2026 Q1
The United States has 79,617 child day care centers with employees, 23.4 per 100,000 residents; jobs -1.1% over the year. North Dakota is the densest market at 45.4 per 100,000 and Nevada the thinnest at 10.8. Every state below links to its own page. Official BLS and Census figures, refreshed each quarter.
Every state, densest first
Density is child day care centers with employees per 100,000 residents. Rows marked n/a are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or have no published population.
| # | State | Per 100k | Locations | Jobs | Jobs YoY | Avg weekly wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | 45.4 | 362 | 4,392 | +3.5% | $444 |
| 2 | Maine | 43.9 | 617 | 5,710 | -1.8% | $653 |
| 3 | Montana | 42.7 | 486 | 3,476 | +1.4% | $520 |
| 4 | Vermont | 41.3 | 268 | 3,223 | +0.7% | $713 |
| 5 | Oregon | 38.3 | 1,637 | 14,768 | +0.5% | $699 |
| 6 | Nebraska | 36 | 721 | 10,312 | +0.1% | $488 |
| 7 | Wyoming | 34.9 | 205 | 2,332 | -1.6% | $557 |
| 8 | New York | 31.6 | 6,285 | 81,066 | -0.6% | $713 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 31.4 | 443 | 5,781 | +1.9% | $647 |
| 10 | Mississippi | 30 | 883 | 9,182 | -12.2% | $491 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | 29.9 | 2,131 | 32,468 | +1.0% | $788 |
| 12 | Washington | 29.8 | 2,374 | 22,992 | -0.9% | $735 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 28.6 | 3,734 | 47,147 | +1.9% | $610 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | 28.2 | 314 | 4,128 | -0.4% | $663 |
| 15 | Delaware | 27.8 | 292 | 3,884 | -1.7% | $642 |
| 16 | Louisiana | 27.2 | 1,251 | 12,134 | -3.1% | $491 |
| 17 | South Dakota | 26.6 | 246 | 3,749 | +1.4% | $448 |
| 18 | Connecticut | 26.3 | 966 | 15,778 | -0.8% | $633 |
| 19 | Hawaii | 26.3 | 380 | 3,609 | +2.4% | $764 |
| 20 | Arkansas | 26.2 | 808 | 11,322 | -4.8% | $531 |
| 21 | Idaho | 25.8 | 517 | 3,922 | -1.7% | $431 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 25.7 | 1,531 | 19,020 | -0.1% | $588 |
| 23 | West Virginia | 25.5 | 452 | 4,467 | +0.5% | $455 |
| 24 | New Jersey | 25.3 | 2,401 | 41,727 | -2.4% | $676 |
| 25 | Iowa | 24.8 | 805 | 13,022 | -1.0% | $443 |
| 26 | California | 24.7 | 9,755 | 86,166 | +1.7% | $794 |
| 27 | Ohio | 23.9 | 2,835 | 34,146 | -1.9% | $562 |
| 28 | Georgia | 23.6 | 2,637 | 33,312 | -4.4% | $577 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | 23.2 | 950 | 10,353 | -7.6% | $467 |
| 30 | Illinois | 22.9 | 2,914 | 39,270 | +0.3% | $686 |
| 31 | Kentucky | 22.8 | 1,045 | 12,848 | -0.9% | $501 |
| 32 | North Carolina | 22.8 | 2,514 | 30,852 | -4.4% | $597 |
| 33 | Minnesota | 21.7 | 1,256 | 18,892 | +1.0% | $623 |
| 34 | Missouri | 21.5 | 1,341 | 17,066 | -1.0% | $570 |
| 35 | Maryland | 21 | 1,316 | 19,316 | -0.3% | $687 |
| 36 | Alabama | 20.9 | 1,078 | 11,772 | -0.6% | $493 |
| 37 | Virginia | 20.8 | 1,829 | 25,535 | +0.1% | $621 |
| 38 | New Mexico | 20.6 | 438 | 7,236 | +5.2% | $684 |
| 39 | Texas | 19.6 | 6,131 | 82,530 | -3.0% | $557 |
| 40 | Florida | 19.5 | 4,551 | 60,265 | -2.1% | $633 |
| 41 | Indiana | 19 | 1,317 | 13,750 | -9.9% | $555 |
| 42 | Utah | 18.9 | 662 | 8,045 | -1.6% | $514 |
| 43 | Colorado | 18.6 | 1,111 | 17,175 | -1.0% | $722 |
| 44 | Alaska | 18 | 133 | 1,619 | -5.2% | $611 |
| 45 | Michigan | 17.1 | 1,733 | 21,178 | +1.3% | $552 |
| 46 | Tennessee | 16.5 | 1,195 | 17,122 | +4.8% | $550 |
| 47 | Kansas | 15.8 | 468 | 7,015 | -0.4% | $507 |
| 48 | South Carolina | 15.3 | 841 | 10,943 | +1.4% | $569 |
| 49 | Arizona | 10.9 | 826 | 12,999 | -5.2% | $630 |
| 50 | Nevada | 10.8 | 354 | 5,144 | -4.6% | $563 |
Fastest job growth
New Mexico (+5.2%), Tennessee (+4.8%), North Dakota (+3.5%), Hawaii (+2.4%), New Hampshire (+1.9%). Slowest: Mississippi (-12.2%), Indiana (-9.9%), Oklahoma (-7.6%).
What counts
Child day care services: centers and licensed in-home providers caring for infants and children, including preschool programs without a school-system affiliation. NAICS 624410. BLS counts establishments with payroll, so owner-only businesses are not in these figures.
Other business types
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 624410, 2026 Q1; U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-year population estimates. All 14 business types ranked by state.