Childcare Workers pay in the U.S.
$35,030avg. a year
$16.84 an hour · 518,910 employed
Childcare Workers in the U.S. earn an average of $35,030 a year and a median of $34,980. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($48,360) and lowest in Mississippi ($24,310).
$34,980Median pay
$16.84Average hourly
+31%Avg. pay since 2020
518,910Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for childcare workers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
11,350 jobs
District of Columbia
$48,360
$23.25 an hour
252,780 jobs
California
$42,790
$20.57 an hour
313,140 jobs
Massachusetts
$42,580
$20.47 an hour
413,310 jobs
Colorado
$42,410
$20.39 an hour
54,340 jobs
Washington
$42,400
$20.39 an hour
644,020 jobs
New York
$39,690
$19.08 an hour
7
Vermont
$39,380
$18.93 an hour
85,240 jobs
Oregon
$39,170
$18.83 an hour
91,870 jobs
Hawaii
$38,210
$18.37 an hour
1012,020 jobs
Connecticut
$38,190
$18.36 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Childcare Workers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $31k$31k–$33k$33k–$38k$38k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | $52,680 | $25.33 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $48,450 | $23.30 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46,100 | $22.17 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $44,390 | $21.34 |
| Boulder, CO | $44,280 | $21.29 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $43,840 | $21.08 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $43,760 | $21.04 |
| El Centro, CA | $43,020 | $20.68 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Childcare Workers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $25,120 | $22,720 | 4,580 |
| Alaska | $37,640 | $36,200 | 1,340 |
| Arizona | $36,350 | $35,100 | 5,530 |
| Arkansas | $28,930 | $28,450 | 5,400 |
| California | $42,790 | $40,020 | 52,780 |
| Colorado | $42,410 | $40,750 | 13,310 |
| Connecticut | $38,190 | $36,660 | 12,020 |
| Delaware | $34,450 | $33,210 | 1,230 |
| District of Columbia | $48,360 | $47,340 | 1,350 |
| Florida | $35,830 | $34,210 | 21,760 |
| Georgia | $28,770 | $28,020 | 21,040 |
| Hawaii | $38,210 | $37,030 | 1,870 |
| Idaho | $31,600 | $30,160 | 4,430 |
| Illinois | $36,560 | $35,830 | 23,900 |
| Indiana | $31,330 | $30,180 | 8,280 |
| Iowa | $29,280 | $28,420 | 6,020 |
| Kansas | $30,430 | $29,240 | 7,430 |
| Kentucky | $30,520 | $28,920 | 5,820 |
| Louisiana | $25,470 | $22,900 | 8,000 |
| Maine | $37,280 | $36,350 | 4,990 |
| Maryland | $38,030 | $36,030 | 9,750 |
| Massachusetts | $42,580 | $40,900 | 13,140 |
| Michigan | $33,100 | $30,970 | 14,010 |
| Minnesota | $35,720 | $35,520 | 11,570 |
| Mississippi | $24,310 | $22,050 | 5,420 |
| Missouri | $33,240 | $30,790 | 12,430 |
| Montana | $33,540 | $35,120 | 2,190 |
| Nebraska | $32,670 | $30,740 | 9,390 |
| Nevada | $32,030 | $29,740 | 3,740 |
| New Hampshire | $36,360 | $37,080 | 2,820 |
| New Jersey | $37,640 | $36,390 | 25,070 |
| New Mexico | $35,510 | $35,840 | 4,120 |
| New York | $39,690 | $37,590 | 44,020 |
| North Carolina | $30,940 | $29,140 | 12,550 |
| North Dakota | $32,000 | $30,290 | 4,030 |
| Ohio | $31,930 | $29,680 | 11,300 |
| Oklahoma | $29,170 | $27,730 | 7,590 |
| Oregon | $39,170 | $38,650 | 5,240 |
| Pennsylvania | $31,510 | $30,140 | 13,000 |
| Rhode Island | $36,530 | $36,940 | 1,800 |
| South Carolina | $30,600 | $29,650 | 10,660 |
| South Dakota | $29,720 | $27,940 | 2,370 |
| Tennessee | $30,720 | $29,660 | 13,650 |
| Texas | $29,050 | $28,570 | 34,160 |
| Utah | $32,710 | $31,630 | 4,830 |
| Vermont | $39,380 | $38,030 | – |
| Virginia | $35,070 | $34,330 | 13,930 |
| Washington | $42,400 | $41,680 | 4,340 |
| West Virginia | $27,310 | $27,710 | 1,930 |
| Wisconsin | $33,420 | $32,460 | 5,560 |
| Wyoming | $31,340 | $28,250 | 1,110 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$40,010
48,780 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$37,220
17,540 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$41,930
16,530 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$29,710
13,220 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$40,170
11,650 jobs$42,920
10,440 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$30,110
8,690 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$31,010
8,660 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do childcare workers make?
The average is $35,030 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $34,980 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $16.84, and the median is $16.82 an hour.
Which state pays childcare workers the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $48,360 a year. The best-paying metro area is North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL at $52,680.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $24,260 a year, and the top 10% earn over $46,010.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 39-9011. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.