2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Childcare Workers

United States. Estimated employment 518,910, with pages for 40 metro areas below.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 39-9011
Fig. 1 — The wage rule

Where you sit in the distribution

Drag the marker, or type a figure
$34,980 · 50th
$24,26010th
$29,36025th
$34,98050th
$38,57075th
$46,01090th

That is the medianhalf of childcare workers in the US earn more.

Table 1 — By metro area

Where it pays

Every published Childcare Workers page, by median pay. Employment is the BLS estimate for the metro.

Metro areaMedianEmployment
San Jose, CA$45,7203,090
San Francisco, CA$44,5408,260
Barnstable Town, MA$43,480270
San Luis Obispo, CA$42,860370
Modesto, CA$41,920660
Boston, MA$41,59010,440
Napa, CA$41,570170
Santa Rosa, CA$41,260620
Amherst Town, MA$40,560240
Riverside, CA$40,2105,110
Stockton, CA$40,010810
Los Angeles, CA$39,89016,530
Worcester, MA$39,3001,230
Pittsfield, MA$38,410180
New York, NY$37,87048,780
Washington, DC$37,61011,650
Ithaca, NY$37,410290
Springfield, MA$36,910600
Chicago, IL$36,61017,540
Kingston, NY$36,360460
Kiryas Joel, NY$36,2301,810
Albany, NY$36,1702,420
Binghamton, NY$35,890640
Glens Falls, NY$35,460220
Buffalo, NY$35,4102,100
Springfield, IL$35,170380
Champaign, IL$34,990530
Decatur, IL$34,740100
Rockford, IL$33,560500
Peoria, IL$33,340600
Bloomington, IL$33,140520
Kankakee, IL$32,820210
Savannah, GA$29,630920
Atlanta, GA$28,84013,220
Brunswick, GA$28,760180
Augusta, GA$28,7302,000
Hinesville, GA$28,250130
Gainesville, GA$27,800260
Athens, GA$27,010410
Columbus, GA$26,150510
Sources

How this page was made

Wage data
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Public domain.
Employment
518,910 employed in this occupation nationally (BLS estimate; excludes the self-employed).
Occupation
SOC 39-9011, Childcare Workers. Mapped to our taxonomy as childcare-workers.

Percentiles are reported exactly as released and are never interpolated between published values. We take no payment from employers, recruiters or anyone else for how any figure is presented.