Child day care centers in North Carolina: 2,514 locations, -4.4% jobs
Official counts for child day care centers in North Carolina, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how North Carolina compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
North Carolina against the country · 2026 Q1
| North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Child day care centers with employees | 2,514 | 79,617 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 22.8 | 23.4 |
| Jobs | 30,852 | 988,501 |
| Jobs, year over year | -4.4% | -1.1% |
| Locations, year over year | +3.1% | +0.9% |
| Average weekly wage | $597 | $632 |
| Rank among states, density | 32 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 43 of 50 |
What the numbers say
North Carolina has 2,514 child day care centers with payroll, employing 30,852 people. At 22.8 per 100,000 residents the market is close to the national average, number 32 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs fell 4.4% over the year, against -1.1% nationally. Locations grew faster than jobs, which usually means more and smaller operators entering: the kind of market where the cheapest service gets crowded first.
Average pay at child day care centers in North Carolina is $597 a week, 6% below the national figure of $632. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of child day care centers in North Carolina moved +1.6%, from 2,430 to 2,470.
Child day care centers in North Carolina, annual average
- 20212,430
- 20222,523
- 20232,660
- 20242,659
- 20252,470
Jobs at child day care centers in North Carolina
- 202127,814
- 202230,232
- 202331,494
- 202431,961
- 202531,888
What counts as "child day care centers" here
Child day care services: centers and licensed in-home providers caring for infants and children, including preschool programs without a school-system affiliation. The code is NAICS 624410. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in North Carolina
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the child day care centers within reach of one address in North Carolina, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many child day care centers are there in North Carolina?
BLS counted 2,514 child day care centers with employees in North Carolina in 2026 Q1, employing 30,852 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 22.8 per 100,000 residents, against 23.4 nationally.
Are child day care centers growing in North Carolina?
Not at the moment. Jobs at child day care centers in North Carolina changed -4.4% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +3.1%. That ranks North Carolina 43 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +1.6%.
Is North Carolina a crowded market for child day care centers?
North Carolina has 22.8 child day care centers per 100,000 residents, close to the national average, ranking 32 of 50 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Child day care centers in every state
Densest first. The number is child day care centers per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in North Carolina
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 624410, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in North Carolina · Growth ranking for North Carolina · Child day care centers by state