NAICS 624410
Child Day Care Services in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
The 1 ZIP codes assigned to Rancho Santa Margarita contained 13 Childcare establishments in 2023, of which 3 employed 10 or more people.
- Establishments (2023)
- 13
- 1 ZIP codes
- 10 or more employees
- 3
- Practical financing floor
- Share of county
- 2%
- Orange County
- City population
- 45,779
- 2025 estimate
Figures cover the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service assigns to Rancho Santa Margarita (92688). ZIP areas are not municipal boundaries: they can extend beyond city limits and are shared between neighbouring places. This is a count of establishments in Rancho Santa Margarita's ZIP codes, not a count of businesses inside its city limits.
Establishments by size
Employee-count distribution. For most buyers the businesses worth pursuing sit in the 5 to 49 range: large enough to have a manager and real systems, small enough to be owner-operated.
| Employees | Establishments | Share | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 6 | 46.2% | |
| 20-49 | 3 | 23.1% |
How this market compares
Rancho Santa Margarita against every other city in California on the same measure. City figures cover the ZIP codes assigned to the place rather than its municipal boundary, so they are compared as a share of the businesses in those same ZIP codes rather than per resident. Cities with fewer than 500 businesses in total are left unranked.
A larger slice of the local business base than the statewide share. Usually a sign of genuine local demand rather than oversupply.
- Vs state share
- +25%
- Share of local businesses
- Rank by count
- #165
- of 354 cities
- Rank by share
- #97
- of 288 ranked
- Since 2020
- +44%
- Change in establishments
This compares how much of Rancho Santa Margarita’s business base is child day care services, against the California figure. Base: 1,156 establishments across all industries in the same ZIP codes, 2023. It does not measure revenue, profitability or whether a market is worth entering.
Business size mix
Rancho Santa Margarita tracks the California size distribution closely.
| Share of establishments | Rancho Santa Margarita | California | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 employeesOwner-operated, often no management layer | 46.2% | 49.9% | -3.8% |
| 5 to 49 employeesThe range most individual buyers target | 23.1% | 25.9% | -2.8% |
| 10 or more employeesPractical floor for acquisition financing | 23.1% | 13.8% | +9.3% |
Nearest comparable markets
The closest places to Rancho Santa Margarita that also have Childcare establishments on record. Useful for spotting a gap next door, or realising the market you are looking at is already served from the town over.
| Market | Establishments | Vs state share |
|---|---|---|
| Mission Viejo | 25 | -7% |
| Lake Forest | 22 | +9% |
| Laguna Hills | 6 | -65% |
| Aliso Viejo | 6 | -54% |
| Laguna Niguel | 14 | -21% |
The wider Orange County market
Employment and payroll are reported at county level only, so the figures below describe the county Rancho Santa Margarita sits in.
- County establishments (2023)
- 632
- Orange County
- County employees
- 7,307
- Mid-March employment
- County annual payroll
- $251M
- All establishments
What acquirers look at
License capacity is the asset and it does not transfer automatically in California. Staff-to-child ratio requirements cap margin structurally.
Other industries in Rancho Santa Margarita
Nearby cities
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns. Establishment counts and size distribution by ZIP code and NAICS, aggregated over the ZIP codes assigned to each city. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns. Establishment counts, employment and annual payroll by NAICS. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2026Q1). Quarterly establishment counts and employment for employers covered by unemployment insurance. Retrieved 2026-09-08.