State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Childcare Worker Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Childcare Workers earn a median of $34,980 per year ($16.82/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 2.9% through 2034, with about 160,200 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 39-9011Personal Care and ServiceLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $34,980
- Projected growth
- -2.9%
- Openings a year
- 160,200
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Caregiver, Child Care Worker, Child Caregiver, Childcare Provider, Childcare Worker, Daycare Teacher.
How much do Childcare Workers make?
10th percentile$24,260
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$29,360
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$34,980
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$38,570
Upper quartile
90th percentile$46,010
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $34,980 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $16.82/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $35,030 |
| People employed | 518,910 |
Versus all US occupations
At $34,980, Childcare Workers earn 31% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $16,000 a year.
Versus personal care and service occupations
Inside the Personal Care and Service group, where the middle occupation pays $38,120, this is 8% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $46,010 or more while the bottom 10% earn $24,260, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 2% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $47,340, and still leads at $43,075 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Childcare Workers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $47,340 | $43,075 | 1,350 |
| Washington | $41,680 | $38,949 | 4,340 |
| Massachusetts | $40,900 | $38,674 | 13,140 |
| Colorado | $40,750 | $39,543 | 13,310 |
| California | $40,020 | $36,145 | 52,780 |
| Oregon | $38,650 | $37,393 | 5,240 |
| Vermont | $38,030 | $38,823 | N/A |
| New York | $37,590 | $34,831 | 44,020 |
| New Hampshire | $37,080 | $35,597 | 2,820 |
| Hawaii | $37,030 | $33,679 | 1,870 |
Is Childcare Worker a growing career?
Childcare Workers-2.9%
All US occupations3.1%
-2.9% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Childcare Workers to change -2.9% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 29,200 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 160,200 openings are projected each year, 16.2% of the 991,600 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Parents or guardians who work will continue to need the assistance of childcare workers. However, slowing birth rates will result in fewer young children requiring childcare. In addition, the increasing cost of childcare is expected to limit demand for these workers.
How to become a Childcare Worker
Education and training requirements vary by setting, state, and employer. They range from no formal education to a certification in early childhood education.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as childcare workers.
- High School Diploma38.5%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)22.7%
- Less than a High School Diploma14.3%
- Some College Courses10.2%
- Bachelor's Degree8.7%
What does a Childcare Worker do?
Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.
Childcare workers attend to children's needs while helping to foster early development. They may help younger children prepare for kindergarten or assist older children with homework.
Day-to-day tasks
- Observe and monitor children's play activities.
- Maintain a safe play environment.
- Organize and store toys and materials to ensure order in activity areas.
- Sanitize toys and play equipment.
- Discipline children and recommend or initiate other measures to control behavior, such as caring for own clothing and picking up toys and books.
- Read to children and teach them simple painting, drawing, handicrafts, and songs.
- Support children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and positive self-concepts.
- Communicate with children's parents or guardians about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where childcare workers work
| Child daycare services | 31% |
|---|---|
| Self-employed workers | 21% |
| Private households | 18% |
| Elementary and secondary schools; local | 8% |
| Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | 7% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Monitoring3.5/5
- Active Listening3.1/5
- Speaking3.1/5
- Critical Thinking3.1/5
- Reading Comprehension3.0/5
- Writing3.0/5
- Active Learning3.0/5
- Learning Strategies3.0/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation3.4/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.3/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Instructing3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Persuasion2.9/5
- Time Management2.9/5
Tools and software
- Office suite software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Computer based training software
- Desktop communications software
- Internet browser software
- Multi-media educational software
- Project management software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Childcare Worker?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic3.1
Investigative1.5
Artisticprimary3.6
Socialprimary6.2
Enterprising2.8
Conventionalprimary3.4
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Childcare Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Childcare Workers make?
Childcare Workers earn a median of $34,980 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 31% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $16.82/hr. The middle half earn between $29,360 and $38,570. The top 10% earn $46,010 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Childcare Worker?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Childcare Workers. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 38.5% hold high school diploma.
Is Childcare Worker a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 2.9% over 2024–2034, a loss of 29,200 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 160,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Childcare Worker do?
Childcare workers attend to children's needs while helping to foster early development. A core O*NET task: observe and monitor children's play activities. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Word processing software.
Which states pay Childcare Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Childcare Workers are District of Columbia ($47,340), Washington ($41,680), Massachusetts ($40,900) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Childcare Worker?
O*NET scores Childcare Workers highest on the Social, Artistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFP, ESFJ, ENFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.