Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
39-9011 Childcare Workers
Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play. Excludes “Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education” (25-2011) and “Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education” (25-9042).
National estimates for Childcare Workers
Industry profile for Childcare Workers
Geographic profile for Childcare Workers
National estimates for Childcare Workers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Childcare Workers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 438,520 |
1.6 % |
$ 13.31 |
$ 27,680 |
0.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Childcare Workers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 8.91 |
$ 10.88 |
$ 13.22 |
$ 14.47 |
$ 17.99 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 18,540 |
$ 22,640 |
$ 27,490 |
$ 30,100 |
$ 37,430 |
Industry profile for Childcare Workers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Childcare Workers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Childcare Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Childcare Workers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Child Day Care Services |
236,360 |
29.37 |
$ 12.40 |
$ 25,790 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
93,210 |
1.15 |
$ 15.07 |
$ 31,350 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries |
19,590 |
1.76 |
$ 11.34 |
$ 23,590 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
16,070 |
6.15 |
$ 12.35 |
$ 25,690 |
| Individual and Family Services |
12,790 |
0.48 |
$ 14.15 |
$ 29,440 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Childcare Workers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Child Day Care Services |
236,360 |
29.37 |
$ 12.40 |
$ 25,790 |
| Other Residential Care Facilities |
12,330 |
8.17 |
$ 14.89 |
$ 30,970 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
16,070 |
6.15 |
$ 12.35 |
$ 25,690 |
| Religious Organizations |
4,040 |
2.25 |
$ 14.25 |
$ 29,630 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries |
19,590 |
1.76 |
$ 11.34 |
$ 23,590 |
Top paying industries for Childcare Workers:
Geographic profile for Childcare Workers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Childcare Workers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Childcare Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Childcare Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Texas |
43,200 |
3.53 |
1.14 |
$ 11.43 |
$ 23,770 |
| New York |
41,720 |
4.81 |
1.55 |
$ 15.89 |
$ 33,060 |
| California |
28,240 |
1.71 |
0.55 |
$ 17.02 |
$ 35,390 |
| Florida |
27,740 |
3.22 |
1.04 |
$ 13.25 |
$ 27,560 |
| Georgia |
17,600 |
4.02 |
1.29 |
$ 11.48 |
$ 23,880 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Childcare Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| North Dakota |
3,730 |
9.44 |
3.03 |
$ 12.22 |
$ 25,410 |
| Nebraska |
7,600 |
7.93 |
2.55 |
$ 12.31 |
$ 25,610 |
| Maine |
4,190 |
7.08 |
2.28 |
$ 14.90 |
$ 31,000 |
| South Dakota |
2,780 |
6.61 |
2.12 |
$ 11.41 |
$ 23,720 |
| Kentucky |
10,930 |
5.94 |
1.91 |
$ 11.62 |
$ 24,170 |
Top paying states for Childcare Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
1,150 |
1.74 |
0.56 |
$ 17.93 |
$ 37,300 |
| California |
28,240 |
1.71 |
0.55 |
$ 17.02 |
$ 35,390 |
| Massachusetts |
12,050 |
3.55 |
1.14 |
$ 16.79 |
$ 34,920 |
| Washington |
5,560 |
1.73 |
0.56 |
$ 16.35 |
$ 34,020 |
| Colorado |
8,370 |
3.19 |
1.03 |
$ 16.03 |
$ 33,340 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Childcare Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
37,220 |
4.29 |
1.38 |
$ 16.33 |
$ 33,970 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
12,610 |
2.98 |
0.96 |
$ 14.24 |
$ 29,630 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
11,290 |
3.15 |
1.01 |
$ 12.19 |
$ 25,360 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
10,980 |
4.48 |
1.44 |
$ 13.33 |
$ 27,720 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
10,110 |
3.49 |
1.12 |
$ 11.61 |
$ 24,150 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
9,600 |
3.71 |
1.19 |
$ 12.36 |
$ 25,700 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
9,160 |
3.54 |
1.14 |
$ 16.84 |
$ 35,020 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
7,810 |
1.37 |
0.44 |
$ 16.39 |
$ 34,080 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
7,780 |
2.65 |
0.85 |
$ 16.01 |
$ 33,300 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
7,560 |
4.15 |
1.33 |
$ 14.71 |
$ 30,590 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Childcare Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Fargo, ND-MN |
1,380 |
10.11 |
3.25 |
$ 11.98 |
$ 24,910 |
| Bismarck, ND |
670 |
9.59 |
3.08 |
$ 12.74 |
$ 26,490 |
| Lincoln, NE |
1,600 |
9.38 |
3.01 |
$ 12.38 |
$ 25,750 |
| Muncie, IN |
400 |
9.23 |
2.97 |
$ 12.62 |
$ 26,240 |
| Manhattan, KS |
320 |
8.65 |
2.78 |
$ 10.22 |
$ 21,260 |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA |
3,940 |
8.47 |
2.72 |
$ 12.61 |
$ 26,220 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME |
1,660 |
8.39 |
2.70 |
$ 15.30 |
$ 31,820 |
| Sioux Falls, SD |
1,280 |
8.24 |
2.65 |
$ 11.51 |
$ 23,930 |
| Ithaca, NY |
360 |
7.79 |
2.50 |
$ 15.03 |
$ 31,270 |
| Lewiston-Auburn, ME |
350 |
7.36 |
2.37 |
$ 14.51 |
$ 30,170 |
United States Department of Labor
