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Pima County, AZ — Day care Saturation

How many day care exist per person present — residents plus daytime workers — by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Establishment data: Census ZBP 2023. Population: ACS 2024 5-year. 63 ZIP codes analyzed.

Includes: Child day care centers · Preschools & pre-K · Family home day care · After-school programs. Counted together because official statistics use one 624410 code.

Measured density: Range spans bands — 0.53× the U.S. rate (between 0.53× and 0.75× once withheld ZIP cells are counted)

Why a range: Census does not publish a ZIP-by-industry count when that ZIP has 0–2 businesses. 46 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 28 of them with residents. Each could hold 0, 1, or 2 businesses: counting them all as 0 gives the low end, counting them all as 2 gives the high end — the data cannot say where the truth sits. The density range uses only the populated cells, since ZIPs without residents are excluded from per-person rates. How ranges work

Range spans the U.S. rate   Pima County day care — 53–75% of the U.S. rate

133 day care are counted in Pima County — 1.1 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 53% of the U.S. rate of 2.0.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has fallen 6% between 2015 and 2023 (139 → 130). That set is smaller than today's county total. 2020–2021 were pandemic-distorted, and Census rounds counts, so small moves are within noise.

Measured supply density is highest in 85711 (Tucson), 85705 (Tucson), 85712 (Tucson) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 85641 (Vail), 85730 (Tucson), 85716 (Tucson).

Census County Business Patterns (2023) puts the county-wide count at 158 establishments, including locations in ZIP codes that do not map to a ZCTA — so it can run slightly above the sum of the ZIP rows on this page. It is annual, so it lags more than QCEW.

Measured density: Pima County sits at 53% of the U.S. rate for day care. 28 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 53% and 75% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 85711 and 85705; the lowest measured density is in 85641 and 85730.

This is a supply-side read: it counts existing day care and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more. Treat low density as a question to check, not an answer.

Day care
133–225
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (46 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
1.1
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
2.0
per 10,000 present
County index
0.53×
vs. U.S.
Latest year (CBP)
158
2023 — $61M annual payroll
Residents
1,072,121
45 ZIPs with data
Workers
336,499
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
1,080,149
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
+3.3%
+34,922 people
Net migration 2024
+12,394
international +8,351, domestic +4,043
Jobs located here
369,943
LODES 2022, +0.9% since 2019

Pima County had an estimated 1,080,149 residents on July 1, 2024 — 3.3% more than in 2020 (+34,922). In the latest year it gained 11,570 people: births minus deaths −873, international migration +8,351, domestic migration +4,043. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

369,943 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (+0.9% since 2019), and 398,246 employed residents lived there (+1.4% since 2019). LODES counts wage and salary jobs covered by unemployment insurance plus federal jobs; it excludes the self-employed and military, and counts jobs rather than unique people. 2019→2022 spans the pandemic, so read it as one change, not a trend.

Population and migration say whether the customer base is growing. They do not say whether people want another business of this type. Definitions and limits →  ·  Full county detail →

ZIP gaining residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
85658 Marana
+39.8%
85641 Vail
+28.3%
85629 Sahuarita
+22.9%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
85634 Sells
−23.3%

ACS 5-year estimates for 2015–2019 and 2020–2024. Only ZIPs with at least 2,000 residents in both windows and a change larger than the survey margin of error (90%) are listed — small ZIPs move a lot on paper without a real signal.

Nonemployer businesses (no paid employees)

Nonemployer businesses
1,396
no paid employees (2024)
Receipts
$28.8M
published gross receipts
Receipts per business
$21K
gross, not profit

Census Nonemployer Statistics counts businesses with no paid employees — a separate universe from the employer establishments counted above; a business is in one or the other, never both. They are not storefronts by definition: many are home-based, mobile, or part-time.

We show them beside the density index, not inside it. In categories such as nail and beauty salons, child care, and pet care, one-person businesses can outnumber employer establishments, so the employer-only count understates how many businesses exist. That is not evidence of higher demand.

Receipts are gross revenue reported for these businesses — not profit, and not the size of the local market. Census publishes this only at county level, so it is not shown on the ZIP map. See methodology.

Saturation map

Each ZIP area is shaded by its density of this business type per person present (residents + workers) vs. the U.S. average. Click any ZIP to zoom to its boundary, see its numbers, and switch to aerial imagery. Individual mapped shops appear as dots at street level — Show locations zooms you in to them (scroll or double-click to zoom).

Basemap:
Under 50% 50–100% 100–150% 150–250% 250%+ 0–2 (not published) / no data ZIP total (dot size) Mapped shop (OpenStreetMap, street level)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by OpenFreeMap.

White dots are ZIP totals from the official Census count — the bigger the dot, the more day care in that ZIP. They are aggregated, not individual shops. Turquoise dots are individual locations mapped in OpenStreetMap, shown only at street level; they are crowd-sourced and indicative, may be incomplete, and do not equal the official counts. Only the official ZIP totals feed the saturation index.

Market trend — down 6% since 2015

Number of day care in Pima County across 2015–2023, on a consistent set of ZIP codes present in every year — so changes are real, not ZIP-boundary artifacts. 2015/2018 are pre-pandemic baselines; 2020/2021 are COVID-distorted.

139
2015
135
2018
142
2020
136
2021
128
2022
130
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
85711 Tucson
172%
85705 Tucson
127%
85712 Tucson
92%
85713 Tucson
88%
85706 Tucson
88%
85741 Tucson
84%
85719 Tucson
82%
85710 Tucson
76%
85749 Tucson
74%
85718 Tucson
71%
85704 Tucson
68%
85746 Tucson
65%
85745 Tucson
59%
85737 Tucson
58%
85716 Tucson
52%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
85641 Vail
42%
85730 Tucson
48%
85716 Tucson
52%
85737 Tucson
58%
85745 Tucson
59%
85746 Tucson
65%
85704 Tucson
68%
85718 Tucson
71%
85749 Tucson
74%
85710 Tucson
76%
85719 Tucson
82%
85741 Tucson
84%
85706 Tucson
88%
85713 Tucson
88%
85712 Tucson
92%
Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A ZIP with few day care may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. We rank only residential and mixed ZIPs here; employment hubs and visitor destinations are listed separately below. ZIPs where Census did not publish a count (0–2 businesses) are not ranked: they may be the least served of all, but the data cannot tell 0 from 1 or 2. Verify those locally.

Employment hubs & destinations

These ZIPs have far more workers (or visitors) than residents, so their counts are driven by daytime and visitor demand — not a place to read "shortage" from resident numbers alone.

ZIPNeighborhoodType ResidentsWorkersDay careIndex
85723Tucson Destination 2443,287 0–2 —

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

All ZIP codes

Click a column header to sort. Index = day care per 10,000 people present (residents + 0.5×workers) ÷ the U.S. average. 100% = exactly average.

ZIPNeighborhood ResidentsWorkersDay care Per 10kIndexStatus
85711Tucson 42,55823,824 19 3.5 172% High density
85705Tucson 54,70030,065 18 2.6 127% Above average
85712Tucson 31,57122,712 8 1.9 92% Below average
85713Tucson 46,43919,275 10 1.8 88% Below average
85706Tucson 54,23626,512 12 1.8 88% Below average
85741Tucson 33,67915,130 7 1.7 84% Below average
85719Tucson 51,83316,135 10 1.7 82% Below average
85710Tucson 56,12517,797 10 1.5 76% Below average
85749Tucson 18,8432,361 3 1.5 74% Below average
85718Tucson 28,12512,865 5 1.4 71% Below average
85704Tucson 35,21016,716 6 1.4 68% Below average
85746Tucson 42,8355,877 6 1.3 65% Below average
85745Tucson 36,9999,686 5 1.2 59% Below average
85737Tucson 22,7855,110 3 1.2 58% Below average
85716Tucson 32,9769,840 4 1.1 52% Below average
85730Tucson 39,3993,478 4 1.0 48% Far below average
85641Vail 34,7521,412 3 0.8 42% Far below average
85321Ajo 3,555406 0–2 — — Not published
85341Lukeville 3724 0–2 — — Not published
85601Arivaca 26880 0–2 — — Not published
85614Green Valley 25,3817,321 0–2 — — Not published
85619Mount Lemmon 073 0–2 — — Not published
85622Green Valley 6,518699 0–2 — — Not published
85629Sahuarita 31,6683,364 0–2 — — Not published
85634Sells 5,038460 0–2 — — Not published
85645Amado 1,24994 0–2 — — Not published
85653Marana 23,5742,469 0–2 — — Not published
85654Rillito 0343 0–2 — — Not published
85658Marana 16,0511,782 0–2 — — Not published
85701Tucson 5,4987,408 0–2 — — Not published
85702Tucson —43 0–2 — — Not published
85707Tucson 581679 0–2 — — Not published
85708Tucson 4,31246 0–2 — — Not published
85709Tucson 094 0–2 — — Not published
85714Tucson 14,49814,969 0–2 — — Not published
85715Tucson 19,1988,358 0–2 — — Not published
85717Tucson —51 0–2 — — Not published
85721Tucson 099 0–2 — — Not published
85723Tucson 2443,287 0–2 — — Not published
85724Tucson 03,438 0–2 — — Not published
85726Tucson 0109 0–2 — — Not published
85728Tucson —29 0–2 — — Not published
85731Tucson —743 0–2 — — Not published
85732Tucson —122 0–2 — — Not published
85733Tucson —16 0–2 — — Not published
85734Tucson 4,79778 0–2 — — Not published
85735Tucson 10,718349 0–2 — — Not published
85736Tucson 4,219155 0–2 — — Not published
85738Catalina —59 0–2 — — Not published
85739Tucson 18,4782,402 0–2 — — Not published
85740Tucson —57 0–2 — — Not published
85742Tucson 31,6133,130 0–2 — — Not published
85743Tucson 31,3006,912 0–2 — — Not published
85744Tucson —597 0–2 — — Not published
85747Tucson 27,7536,918 0–2 — — Not published
85748Tucson 20,1032,376 0–2 — — Not published
85750Tucson 24,8863,162 0–2 — — Not published
85751Tucson —144 0–2 — — Not published
85752Tucson —42 0–2 — — Not published
85754Tucson —107 0–2 — — Not published
85755Tucson 18,5605,103 0–2 — — Not published
85756Tucson 37,70015,263 0–2 — — Not published
85757Tucson 21,259410 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Tucson

The numbers above tell you how the market looks. To find a specific storefront, these marketplaces list available retail space for lease.

LoopNet
Largest commercial marketplace
Browse Tucson retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Tucson retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Tucson retail space →

Open vacancy data (actual empty units) is only published by some cities; where it exists we show it directly. Listings above are third-party.

Census withholds some ZIP-by-industry cells to protect small businesses. 0–2 means the cell was not published (Census publishes industry counts only at 3+ per ZIP), so the ZIP is left unranked rather than counted as zero. ~ means the count is estimated from the broader industry group and can be off by a business or two.

Follow Pima County and day care

When a data vintage changes or a section of this report is revised, we post it to a public update feed. No email address, no account, no tracking — and nothing is sent unless something actually changed.

Subscribe to updates (RSS) How these numbers are built →

Methodology & sources

Establishments. U.S. Census ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP 2023), NAICS 624410 — child day care services. Counts establishments with paid employees. ZBP is published annually with a ~2-year lag.

Fresh county signal. This industry has no clean QCEW series, so the freshest county signal is Census County Business Patterns 2023: 158 establishments and $61M in annual payroll county-wide. This count includes locations in ZIP codes that do not map to a ZCTA, so it can be slightly higher than the sum of the ZIP rows. CBP is annual and slower than QCEW. It cannot be broken down by ZIP.

Population. U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year ZCTA population (table B01003). Workers are the ZIP's total employment from the same 2023 ZBP file.

Demand ("people present"). Demand comes from residents and daytime workers: residents + 0.5 × workers. This is the single documented assumption in the model and can be tuned.

Index. index = (ZIP establishments ÷ ZIP demand × 10,000) ÷ the U.S. average for this industry (2.03 per 10,000 present). It is a supply-side density measure; it does not capture income, rent, tourism, or whether locals actually want more.

Read the full methodology →  ·  Data sources & vintages →

BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.