occupation · 39-9011 · detailed
Childcare Workers — wages and employment
Childcare Workers earned a median annual wage of $32,050 in the United States in May 2024, with 520,180 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Childcare Workers earned a median annual wage of $32,050 in the United States in May 2024, with 520,180 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $22,900 or less, the best-paid tenth $44,560 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $30,370 to $32,050, +5.5 %. The best-paying state is District of Columbia at $45,400; the lowest Puerto Rico at $21,150. Among metropolitan areas, North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL pays the highest median, $47,730. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 520,180 | $32,050 | $33,140 | $22,900 | $28,000 | $36,960 | $44,560 | $15.41 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 497,450 | $30,370 | $32,070 | $22,450 | $27,040 | $36,200 | $43,270 | $14.60 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $45,400 | 1,010 |
| Massachusetts | $39,290 | 12,370 |
| Colorado | $38,410 | 11,560 |
| California | $38,220 | 47,190 |
| Vermont | $37,830 | 1,120 |
| Washington | $37,800 | 4,300 |
| New York | $36,630 | 42,780 |
| Hawaii | $36,440 | 1,860 |
| Oregon | $36,250 | 4,230 |
| Connecticut | $35,290 | 9,630 |
| Maryland | $35,150 | 8,910 |
| Arizona | $35,140 | 6,190 |
| Alaska | $34,980 | 1,260 |
| Rhode Island | $34,920 | 2,390 |
| Maine | $34,720 | 4,110 |
| New Hampshire | $34,570 | 2,530 |
| New Jersey | $34,290 | 23,680 |
| New Mexico | $34,240 | 3,460 |
| Minnesota | $33,610 | 10,910 |
| Illinois | $32,860 | 22,540 |
| Montana | $31,440 | 2,070 |
| Florida | $30,880 | 21,790 |
| Utah | $30,860 | 3,910 |
| North Dakota | $30,390 | 3,870 |
| Virginia | $30,150 | 14,150 |
| Delaware | $30,060 | 1,270 |
| Missouri | $29,810 | 10,600 |
| Wisconsin | $29,670 | 3,910 |
| Indiana | $29,340 | 8,790 |
| Michigan | $29,290 | 14,760 |
| Nevada | $29,140 | 3,150 |
| Idaho | $29,110 | 5,500 |
| Tennessee | $29,030 | 13,190 |
| Nebraska | $28,860 | 9,070 |
| Kansas | $28,800 | 7,180 |
| Kentucky | $28,570 | 7,510 |
| Texas | $28,520 | 45,020 |
| North Carolina | $28,480 | 12,200 |
| South Carolina | $28,440 | 11,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $28,330 | 14,410 |
| Ohio | $28,230 | 12,580 |
| Georgia | $27,940 | 25,650 |
| Iowa | $27,930 | 5,870 |
| Wyoming | $27,560 | 1,330 |
| Arkansas | $27,180 | 6,200 |
| South Dakota | $26,870 | 2,640 |
| Oklahoma | $26,210 | 9,550 |
| Virgin Islands | $25,940 | 40 |
| West Virginia | $23,870 | 1,500 |
| Alabama | $22,420 | 4,880 |
| Louisiana | $22,100 | 9,150 |
| Mississippi | $21,760 | 4,920 |
| Guam | $21,350 | 180 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,150 | 1,730 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | $47,730 | 1,440 |
| Ocala, FL | $44,990 | 440 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $44,970 | 5,760 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $43,640 | 2,440 |
| Boulder, CO | $42,730 | 830 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $40,180 | 2,220 |
| Modesto, CA | $39,610 | 490 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $39,460 | 610 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $39,290 | 9,650 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $38,720 | 7,000 |
| Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | $38,610 | 250 |
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $38,460 | 200 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $38,430 | 490 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $38,410 | 220 |
| Worcester, MA | $38,390 | 1,060 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $38,290 | 50 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $38,070 | 19,120 |
| Pittsfield, MA | $38,010 | 230 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $37,970 | 110 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $37,970 | 3,800 |
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