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Santa Clara County, CA — 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. 92 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: High density — 1.59× the U.S. rate (between 1.59× and 1.62× 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. 41 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 8 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   Santa Clara County day care — 159–162% of the U.S. rate

813 day care are counted in Santa Clara County — 3.2 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 159% of the U.S. rate of 2.0.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has risen 21% between 2015 and 2023 (657 → 794). 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 94306 (Palo Alto), 94087 (Sunnyvale), 94303 (Palo Alto) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 95134 (San Jose), 95126 (San Jose), 95133 (San Jose).

Census County Business Patterns (2023) puts the county-wide count at 803 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: Santa Clara County sits at 159% of the U.S. rate for day care. 8 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 159% and 162% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 94306 and 94087; the lowest measured density is in 95134 and 95126.

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
813–895
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (41 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
3.2
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
2.0
per 10,000 present
County index
1.59×
vs. U.S.
Latest year (CBP)
803
2023 — $261M annual payroll
Residents
1,935,981
59 ZIPs with data
Workers
1,162,159
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
1,926,325
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
+0.1%
+1,523 people
Net migration 2024
+22,610
international +44,644, domestic −22,034
Jobs located here
1,123,607
LODES 2022, +0.7% since 2019

Santa Clara County had an estimated 1,926,325 residents on July 1, 2024 — 0.1% more than in 2020 (+1,523). In the latest year it gained 29,188 people: births minus deaths +6,526, international migration +44,644, domestic migration −22,034. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

1,123,607 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (+0.7% since 2019), and 953,149 employed residents lived there (−0.7% 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
94305 Stanford
+12.9%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
95116 San Jose
−13.9%
95127 San Jose
−11.2%
95128 San Jose
−10.3%

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
3,330
no paid employees (2024)
Receipts
$110.9M
published gross receipts
Receipts per business
$33K
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 — up 21% since 2015

Number of day care in Santa Clara 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.

657
2015
720
2018
726
2020
709
2021
728
2022
794
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
94306 Palo Alto
401%
94087 Sunnyvale
400%
94303 Palo Alto
274%
95124 San Jose
265%
94024 Los Altos
260%
95014 Cupertino
256%
95035 Milpitas
249%
95129 San Jose
241%
95051 Santa Clara
240%
94086 Sunnyvale
229%
95127 San Jose
217%
95070 Saratoga
215%
95117 San Jose
207%
95118 San Jose
205%
95132 San Jose
199%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
95134 San Jose
44%
95126 San Jose
55%
95133 San Jose
58%
95112 San Jose
64%
95131 San Jose
77%
94022 Los Altos
81%
94041 Mountain View
82%
94089 Sunnyvale
88%
95123 San Jose
92%
95119 San Jose
107%
95128 San Jose
112%
95116 San Jose
115%
95136 San Jose
116%
95037 Morgan Hill
129%
94301 Palo Alto
130%
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
95113San Jose Employment hub 2,64022,385 5 178%
94043Mountain View Employment hub 33,17669,408 15 109%
95110San Jose Employment hub 19,96344,547 8 93%
95054Santa Clara Employment hub 25,70499,768 11 72%
94304Palo Alto Destination 5,00056,576 3 44%
94305Stanford Employment hub 18,50954,779 3 32%
95002Alviso Employment hub 1,5427,483 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
94306Palo Alto 27,18316,926 29 8.1 401% Very high density
94087Sunnyvale 57,76710,258 51 8.1 400% Very high density
94303Palo Alto 46,87917,648 31 5.6 274% Very high density
95124San Jose 52,09610,965 31 5.4 265% Very high density
94024Los Altos 23,0513,126 13 5.3 260% Very high density
95014Cupertino 60,93259,243 47 5.2 256% Very high density
95035Milpitas 78,81048,580 52 5.0 249% High density
95129San Jose 41,32111,357 23 4.9 241% High density
95051Santa Clara 62,05427,577 37 4.9 240% High density
94086Sunnyvale 49,74629,429 30 4.7 229% High density
95127San Jose 58,8255,115 27 4.4 217% High density
95070Saratoga 31,4175,888 15 4.4 215% High density
95117San Jose 26,9533,322 12 4.2 207% High density
95118San Jose 32,0158,040 15 4.2 205% High density
95132San Jose 40,3343,591 17 4.0 199% High density
95122San Jose 50,77510,496 22 3.9 193% High density
95148San Jose 44,9953,371 18 3.9 190% High density
95135San Jose 20,1291,665 8 3.8 188% High density
95125San Jose 54,41917,202 23 3.6 180% High density
95113San Jose 2,64022,385 5 3.6 178% High density
94085Sunnyvale 24,02421,768 12 3.4 169% High density
95120San Jose 36,9673,838 13 3.3 165% High density
95111San Jose 57,2025,240 19 3.2 156% High density
94040Mountain View 35,63217,272 14 3.2 156% High density
95033Los Gatos 9,600623 3 3.0 149% Above average
95008Campbell 48,33329,159 19 3.0 149% Above average
95020Gilroy 67,18119,193 22 2.9 141% Above average
95121San Jose 36,4634,199 11 2.9 141% Above average
95130San Jose 13,5111,039 4 2.9 140% Above average
95050Santa Clara 39,83428,753 15 2.8 136% Above average
95032Los Gatos 27,31312,922 9 2.7 131% Above average
94301Palo Alto 17,50825,414 8 2.6 130% Above average
95037Morgan Hill 51,94318,080 16 2.6 129% Above average
95136San Jose 48,0565,827 12 2.4 116% Above average
95116San Jose 48,0427,103 12 2.3 115% Above average
95128San Jose 33,16530,472 11 2.3 112% Above average
94043Mountain View 33,17669,408 15 2.2 109% Above average
95119San Jose 10,84115,073 4 2.2 107% Above average
95110San Jose 19,96344,547 8 1.9 93% Below average
95123San Jose 69,67711,348 14 1.9 92% Below average
94089Sunnyvale 22,69944,041 8 1.8 88% Below average
94041Mountain View 16,05015,922 4 1.7 82% Below average
94022Los Altos 20,0278,622 4 1.6 81% Below average
95131San Jose 31,17953,034 9 1.6 77% Below average
95054Santa Clara 25,70499,768 11 1.5 72% Below average
95112San Jose 57,37340,408 10 1.3 64% Below average
95133San Jose 29,7108,301 4 1.2 58% Below average
95126San Jose 38,32712,398 5 1.1 55% Below average
94304Palo Alto 5,00056,576 3 0.9 44% Far below average
95134San Jose 30,47150,098 5 0.9 44% Far below average
94305Stanford 18,50954,779 3 0.7 32% Far below average
94023Los Altos —42 0–2 — — Not published
94035Mountain View —2,042 0–2 — — Not published
94039Mountain View —320 0–2 — — Not published
94042Mountain View —61 0–2 — — Not published
94088Sunnyvale —576 0–2 — — Not published
94302Palo Alto —50 0–2 — — Not published
94309Palo Alto —93 0–2 — — Not published
95002Alviso 1,5427,483 0–2 — — Not published
95009Campbell —39 0–2 — — Not published
95011Campbell —5 0–2 — — Not published
95013Coyote 5764 0–2 — — Not published
95015Cupertino —262 0–2 — — Not published
95021Gilroy —118 0–2 — — Not published
95030Los Gatos 13,1516,283 0–2 — — Not published
95031Los Gatos —358 0–2 — — Not published
95036Milpitas —28 0–2 — — Not published
95038Morgan Hill —207 0–2 — — Not published
95044Redwood Estates —14 0–2 — — Not published
95046San Martin 6,3241,344 0–2 — — Not published
95052Santa Clara —5,316 0–2 — — Not published
95053Santa Clara 3,0493,482 0–2 — — Not published
95055Santa Clara —24 0–2 — — Not published
95056Santa Clara —23 0–2 — — Not published
95101San Jose —185 0–2 — — Not published
95108San Jose —12 0–2 — — Not published
95138San Jose 18,96011,519 0–2 — — Not published
95139San Jose 7,035507 0–2 — — Not published
95140Mount Hamilton 4268 0–2 — — Not published
95141San Jose —1,824 0–2 — — Not published
95150San Jose —32 0–2 — — Not published
95151San Jose —20 0–2 — — Not published
95153San Jose —334 0–2 — — Not published
95154San Jose —23 0–2 — — Not published
95155San Jose —21 0–2 — — Not published
95158San Jose —86 0–2 — — Not published
95159San Jose —36 0–2 — — Not published
95160San Jose —89 0–2 — — Not published
95161San Jose —5 0–2 — — Not published
95164San Jose —16 0–2 — — Not published
95170San Jose —25 0–2 — — Not published
95192San Jose —1,067 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Santa Clara

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 Santa Clara retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Santa Clara retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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: 803 establishments and $261M 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.