Pay for childcare workers is unusually consistent across the country: $20,730 at the bottom of the range, $47,300 at the top, a spread of only 2.28×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
Ten per cent of childcare workers earn below $24,260 and ten per cent above $46,010 — a 1.9× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 32%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota (FL) leads and Anniston-Oxford (AL) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota FL | $47,300 | $22.74 | 1.35 | 1,530 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $45,720 | $21.98 | 0.82 | 3,090 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $44,580 | $21.44 | 1.71 | 760 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $44,540 | $21.41 | 1.04 | 8,260 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $44,320 | $21.31 | 1.47 | 7,870 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $43,710 | $21.02 | 0.36 | 2,520 |
| Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area | $43,530 | $20.93 | 0.8 | 110 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $43,480 | $20.90 | 0.86 | 270 |
| Boulder CO | $43,380 | $20.86 | 1.65 | 1,060 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $43,030 | $20.69 | 0.95 | 200 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA | $42,860 | $20.60 | 0.9 | 370 |
| Longview-Kelso WA | $42,300 | $20.34 | 0.23 | 30 |
| Modesto CA | $41,920 | $20.16 | 1.01 | 660 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $41,590 | $20.00 | 1.16 | 10,440 |
| Napa CA | $41,570 | $19.98 | 0.65 | 170 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $41,260 | $19.84 | 0.91 | 620 |
| Amherst Town-Northampton MA | $40,560 | $19.50 | 1.1 | 240 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | $40,210 | $19.33 | 0.89 | 5,110 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | $40,150 | $19.30 | 0.31 | 60 |
| Stockton-Lodi CA | $40,010 | $19.24 | 0.84 | 810 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $39,890 | $19.18 | 0.79 | 16,530 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $39,890 | $19.18 | 1.59 | 550 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $39,800 | $19.14 | 0.86 | 4,420 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $39,690 | $19.08 | 1.26 | 460 |
| Flagstaff AZ | $39,640 | $19.06 | 0.69 | 150 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anniston-Oxford AL | $20,730 | $9.97 | 0.94 | 140 |
| Gadsden AL | $21,050 | $10.12 | 0.53 | 60 |
| Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $21,190 | $10.19 | 1.02 | 260 |
| Lower West Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $21,440 | $10.31 | 1.83 | 490 |
| Hattiesburg MS | $21,590 | $10.38 | 1.4 | 290 |
| Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $21,660 | $10.41 | 1.31 | 350 |
| West Delta Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $21,740 | $10.45 | 2.35 | 720 |
| Jackson MS | $21,770 | $10.47 | 1.77 | 1,600 |
| Lake Charles LA | $21,820 | $10.49 | 0.69 | 240 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $21,840 | $10.50 | 0.62 | 60 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck ND | $30,650 | $14.74 | 3.24 | 770 |
| Lincoln NE | $29,860 | $14.35 | 3.15 | 1,920 |
| East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $29,940 | $14.40 | 3.1 | 660 |
| Omaha NE-IA | $31,330 | $15.06 | 2.97 | 4,940 |
| Lewiston-Auburn ME | $34,570 | $16.62 | 2.89 | 460 |
| Fargo ND-MN | $30,030 | $14.44 | 2.79 | 1,380 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $38,020 | $18.28 | 2.76 | 3,720 |
| Sumter SC | $27,660 | $13.30 | 2.61 | 300 |
| Augusta-Richmond County GA-SC | $28,730 | $13.81 | 2.59 | 2,000 |
| South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area | $29,160 | $14.02 | 2.59 | 1,340 |
| Portland-South Portland ME | $36,620 | $17.60 | 2.56 | 2,460 |
| Waterbury-Shelton CT | $35,670 | $17.15 | 2.51 | 1,350 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $37,870 | $18.21 | 1.54 | 48,780 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $36,610 | $17.60 | 1.16 | 17,540 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $39,890 | $19.18 | 0.79 | 16,530 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $28,840 | $13.87 | 1.37 | 13,220 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $37,610 | $18.08 | 1.11 | 11,650 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $41,590 | $20.00 | 1.16 | 10,440 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $29,530 | $14.20 | 0.79 | 8,690 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $31,110 | $14.96 | 0.64 | 8,660 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $44,540 | $21.41 | 1.04 | 8,260 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $34,520 | $16.60 | 0.82 | 7,960 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $44,320 | $21.31 | 1.47 | 7,870 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $36,310 | $17.46 | 1.19 | 7,740 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 39-9011. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 514 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.