2023 Babysitting Rates: National Average & by City

babysitter playing pattycake

Wondering what is the going rate for babysitting? You’ve come to the right place! In UrbanSitter’s 12th year of tracking the average babysitting rate across the U.S., we analyzed the tens of thousands of babysitting jobs to provide this handy reference guide for families and babysitters. To find the going rate for babysitting in your city, check the chart and infographic below.

How much do babysitters make?

Generally, average babysitting rates in the U.S. rose significantly in the past year: a 9.7% increase, outpacing inflation at 7.1%. If you’re looking for a sitter, you’ve likely seen higher rates this year with $22.68/hr being the national average hourly rate for babysitting 1 kid and $25.37/hr the hourly rate for babysitting 2 kids.

Average Babysitting Rate by U.S. City

Area/U.S. CityHourly rate for babysitting 1 kidHourly rate for babysitting 2 kids
National $22.68 $25.37
Atlanta, GA $21.14 $24.13
Austin, TX $22.81 $26.28
Boston, MA $21.67 $23.45
Charlotte, NC $17.27 $18.62
Chicago, IL $19.91 $21.44
Cleveland, OH $19.20 $20.00
Colorado Springs, CO $16.27 $17.25
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX $18.82 $19.52
Denver, CO $19.81 $22.07
Detroit, MI $19.73 $22.81
Honolulu, HI $19.99 $23.10
Houston, TX $17.84 $18.77
Las Vegas, NV $19.34 $20.39
Los Angeles, CA $22.74 $25.61
Miami, FL $19.33 $22.80
Minneapolis, MN $18.53 $20.27
Nashville, TN $18.39 $20.07
New York City, NY $22.18 $25.06
Oklahoma City, OK $12.76 $15.85
Orlando, FL $19.51 $22.98
Philadelphia, PA $18.03 $20.78
Phoenix, AZ $17.61 $20.01
Portland, OR $20.94 $24.82
Raleigh/Durham, NC $18.02 $21.26
Reno, NV $23.23 $24.26
Richmond, VA $17.02 $18.00
Sacramento, CA $20.24 $22.44
San Antonio, TX $17.97 $18.16
San Diego, CA $21.58 $24.33
San Francisco, CA $25.24 $28.31
Seattle, WA $24.60 $26.28
Springfield, MO $11.35 $12.00
Washington, DC $20.91 $22.90

Fun facts about 2023 baby sitter rates:

  • The least expensive city for a sitter is in Phoenix at $17.61/hr for 1 child and the most expensive city is San Francisco with a going rate for babysitting of $25.24/hr for 1 child.
  • What is a reasonable price for babysitting per day for 1 kid? For an 8-hour day, prices should range from $140 to $200 depending on your location.
  • The average pet sitter rate is $21.45/hr.
  • The average housekeeper rate is $27.76/hr.
  • The average non-medical senior companion care rate is $22.03/hr.

Key factors when deciding how much to pay a babysitter:

Beyond the average babysitting pay rate, there is a set of other key factors that can help determine what is a reasonable price for babysitting per hour for your child; or if you’re a sitter, how much to charge for babysitting.

  1. Location.
    • Start with the average babysitting rate in your city, then consider your specific neighborhood – are you conveniently located in the city center or in a suburb? For instance, if you live near a university where many babysitters live, babysitter rates will probably be much more affordable than a far away suburb that requires a long commute for sitters.
  2. Job responsibilities.
    • First, consider how many children will the babysitter be caring for. Babysitter rates don’t double or triple, but they will increase a dollar or two with each additional child.
    • Next, ask yourself if there are additional responsibilities such as driving, homework help, meal preparation, laundry, cleaning or walking the family dog. You can expect to pay more for these additions.
  3. Skills and experience.
    • Experienced sitters will certainly charge more than a high school sitter. Sitters with specialized certifications and Early Childhood Education degrees will command a higher rate.
    • You can typically get a feel for the sitter’s experience by asking about how many years they’ve been babysitting and what age groups they’ve worked with (newborn, infant, toddler, preschooler, grade schooler, etc).
  4. Transportation.
    • Some sitters expect parents to cover their cost of transportation to and from the job — either by reimbursing them for mileage or funding a subway or bus card.
    • If your child needs to be driven by the sitter (either in their car or yours), then consider a gas credit card specifically for the sitter’s use.
  5. Additional expenses.
    • Beyond transportation, the sitter may have additional expenses while on the job including meals, babysitting supplies, and children’s activity costs. Decide what you will cover, then factor this in when determining your overall child care budget.
  6. Special needs.
    • If you have a child with a disability, you should also expect to pay a higher babysitting pay rate for someone with qualified experience.

Historic Babysitting Rates

Curious about how babysitter pay rates have changed over time? See our data from 2012-2022:

Babysitting rates 2022
Babysitting rates 2021
Babysitting rates 2020
Babysitting rates 2019
Babysitting rates 2018
Babysitting rates 2017
Babysitting rates 2016
Babysitting rates 2015
Babysitting rates 2014
Babysitting rates 2013
Babysitting rates 2012

How much does a nanny cost?

Generally, nanny hourly rates are higher than babysitter rates. See our post How much does a nanny cost? for the full list of considerations you’ll want to think through when deciding how much to pay a nanny.

Looking for a babysitter or nanny? Join UrbanSitter to browse profiles, sort by pay rate, and book jobs online.

Simple St. Patrick’s Day Crafts for Kids

As luck would have it, there are oodles of St. Patty’s Day crafts to keep your kids happily entertained. We’ve rounded up 10 of our favorites that are just right for little ones.

Simple St. Patrick’s Day Crafts for Kids

Rainbow Streamers
A simple craft made from a paper plate, paints and tissue paper strips.

Screen Shot 2014-03-10 at 12.27.30 PM
via Activity Village

Handprint Rainbow
Kids’ handprints made in every color of the rainbow lead to a pot of gold.

via The Logan's
via The Logan Family of Five

Paper Bag Leprechaun
It’s double the fun when you turn a paper sack into a googly-eyed leprechaun who makes for a perfect puppet.

via Pin Inspired
via Pin Inspired

Rainbow Necklace
Buy a box of fruity O’s cereal and help your child string a rainbow (or make it leprechaun green) on a shoe string. You’ll have a fun project, cute necklace and a yummy snack. 

via Eighteen 25
via Eighteen 25

Shamrock Bouquet
Here’s a craft that’s as much fun for Mom as it is for the little ones. Make an adorable bouquet of shamrocks using the handy template provided here, and you’ll have a happily entertained crafter and a cute centerpiece for the table.

via Sweet and Lovely
via Sweet and Lovely

Paper Rainbow
A simple craft for even the tiniest tots. Glue dots make it even easier and eliminate the mess.

via Scrappin' Danielle
via Scrappin’ Danielle

Leprechaun Green Oobleck
If you haven’t yet played with the strange, non-edible substance called Oobleck, here’s your chance. Make a green batch!

via Oobleck
via Food.com

Green Pepper Shamrock Stamp
A green pepper easily becomes a shamrock stamp. Who knew?!

via Family Fresh Meals
via Family Fresh Meals

Pot of Gold
There’s a template for a shamrock and a pot, but we’re guessing you won’t need them to create this adorable pot of treasures.

via Play and Learn with Dana
via Play and Learn with Dana

Leprechaun Beard
Love, love, love this DIY leprechaun beard you can make for a fantastic dress-up accessory.

via No Time for Flashcards
via No Time for Flashcards

 

Search for crafty sitters on UrbanSitter.com! How will your family celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

12 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day for Kids

Not sure how to create a special Valentine’s Day for kids? Holidays offer ideal opportunities to create traditions your kids will remember for life. Creating Valentine’s Day activities for kids is a win-win for both parents and children alike. Start making those special holiday memories and creating your own family Valentine’s Day traditions.

Here are 12 fun Valentine’s Day Ideas for Kids to make the day extra special:

  1. Make memorable meals.

    Create signature dishes you will have every family Valentine’s Day from here on out. Some delicious ideas to get you thinking:
Valentines Day Ideas for Kids

  1. Create Valentine’s Day decoration together.

    They are bound to pull at your heartstrings when you pull them out each year. For an easy, simple Valentine’s Day activity for kids, make paper chains to hang from the ceiling

  1. Decorate their duds for a festive day.

    We love these simple heart button covers and these, too. Or how about a red dotted bow tie?

  1. Celebrate with a little pampering by giving mini manis and pedis.

    Another fun family Valentine’s Day activity – draw teeny hearts with nail art pens!

  2. Host a perfect Valentine’s Day party

    Follow these tips and the neighbors will all be raving about the perfect Valentine’s Day party you hosted or have the kids host a special tea party for favorite friends, real of imaginary. A tea party takes snack time to a whole new level. Serve finger sandwiches spread with strawberry cream cheese or jam, cookies and tea, of course.

  3. Share the love with Valentine’s Day ideas for kids.

    Load up your table with craft paper, doilies, foils, markers, crayons and paints to create homemade cards to deliver to Mom or Dad, a favorite sitter, and the grandparents.

  1. Have a photo shoot.

    This Valentine’s Day Photo Shoot will give you some good ideas on how to use props to mark the day. Try some fun props, such as a chalkboard, balloons, streamers, or candy.

  1. Get crafty.

    Who doesn’t love making crafts out of hearts? Check out UrbanSitter’s Fun Valentine’s Day Crafts. If you need more ideas, you’ll love Martha Stewart’s roundup. Or tell kids Valentine’s Day jokes!

valentines day ideas for kids

  1. Do good.

    Do you know an elderly neighbor or friend who might not have a Valentine to celebrate with this year? Make their day by delivering a bouquet of flowers and a homemade card.

  1. Snuggle in for family movie night.

    There are many cute Valentine’s Day movies for kids, including: “Beauty and the Beast,” “Ever After,” “Lady and the Tramp,” and a sweet compilation of some of Disney’s best couples – “Mickey & Minnie’s Sweetheart Stories.”

  2. Whip up a special dessert to enjoy after dinner.

    You can’t go wrong with these impressive-to-look-at, even-more-impressive-once-you-bite them brownies from Smitten Kitchen. For something simpler, try Raspberry Cream Cheese Heart Tarts from Weelicious.

Valentine's Day for Kids Family Valentine's Day

  1. Choose a few Valentine’s Day books to read together before bed.

Finally after a full day of making special memories with your children, plan a night out with your partner or friends. Be sure to book a Valentine’s Day sitter early using these tips. Interested in what it’ll cost you to go out on that special night? Here’s a look at babysitting rates on Valentine’s Day.

Looking for a babysitter for Valentine’s Day? Visit UrbanSitter to find a caregiver nearby.

Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids

How about arming your babysitter with Valentine’s Day craft ideas and supplies for your kids to create special treats for family and friends? You’ll have happily occupied kids, a grateful babysitter and a few special gifts, too.

Here are five sweet ideas for your little ones to get crafty:

1) Fun Craft for Bigger Kids – Matchbox Valentine Boxes

matchbox valentines by inchmark.squarespace.com

Kids love tiny things, and who can blame them? These tiny packages made out of matchboxes and filled with candy are adorable. (You’ll want one, too!) Easy to create, the boxes can be customized with as much or as little as your crafter likes. Tape a strip of craft paper to cover them [Cut a piece of paper 2″ high (or the height of your matchbox) and about 4″ long (enough to wrap it around)], slap on some stickers, or paint or draw your own decorations… and tie with a bow. Since they are so teeny, a bag of candy is all you’ll need to fill a whole slew of them. M&Ms work well, and you can buy the pink and red ones for VDay.

2) Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards with Crazy Crayons

crazycrayons by innerchildfun.com

We love this crazy cute Valentine, particularly because it includes a kid-approved treat that isn’t candy – Crazy Crayons. Here’s the perfect use of all the bits and pieces of broken crayons you undoubtedly have at the bottom of your arts and crafts box. Crazy Crayons take what’s old and turn it into colorful, useful, Valentine gifts for classmates and friends. Your kids will love the crayon “demo” and the big reveal (once the bits bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then chill in the frig). A heart muffin tin is especially cute to use, and these free printables stapled to the top of a Ziploc bag make the Valentine especially easy to package.

3) The Perfect Project for Preschoolers – Heart Flowers

Photo by Puttisworld

You’ll need red, pink and green construction paper, craft or popsicle sticks, glue, scissors and a couple of markers to create these happy Heart Flowers. Your sitter can help by cutting out four red/pink hearts for the flower and two smaller green hearts for the leaves of each flower. Your child can glue them to the paper, overlapping to form a flower, adding the stick for a stem and leaves, too. Once dry, draw a face and any Valentine’s Day message you choose. Instructions and photos here, thanks to Putti’s World.

4) Get Cooking for a Tasty Snack (or Gift)

Photo by Workathomegal.com

Take it easy on your sitter by leaving her all the trappings for a low-fuss treat she and the kids can bake and decorate. Depending on your child’s age and familiarity with baking, choose either a roll of refrigerated cookie dough, a boxed mix for cupcakes, or the easiest route – premade, undecorated cookies or cupcakes from the bakery or grocery store. Most will agree the best part of baking holiday treats is decorating them, so go all out on decorations. You could include several colors of candy sprinkles or sugars, maraschino cherries, dried coconut, tubes of frosting, chocolate chips, and candy hearts.

5) Home-Crafted Decoration to Resurrect Each Year

Photo by Kaboose

We know, we know, it’s another craft with crayons, but we couldn’t help ourselves. This craft is worth picking up an extra set of crayons so you can tackle it, as well as the melted crayon Valentines. So pretty to hang in a window, these stained glass hearts are a perfect way to brighten dreary winter days. You can make them by melting crayon shavings between waxed paper using an iron set on low. Hang them with a loop of string or ribbon after cutting out hearts. Experiment with different color combinations, and make sure the sitter knows not to take her eyes off the hot iron or melted paper until they have cooled.

Hope you, your kids and your sitter love these Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids as much as we do!

2022 Babysitting Rates & Childcare Costs Study

Wondering what the average 2022 babysitter rates were? The national average was $20.57/hr for 1 child and $23.25/hr for 2 children. Check out the chart and infographic below for the average babysitting rates by U.S. city in 2022.

Area/U.S. CityHourly Rate for 1 ChildHourly Rate for 2 Children
National $20.57 $23.25
Atlanta, GA $18.43 $22.78
Austin, TX $18.62 $21.93
Boston, MA $19.96 $22.82
Chicago, IL $17.62 $19.75
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX $15.84 $21.07
Denver, CO $18.12 $20.67
Houston, TX $18.39 $22.73
Las Vegas, NV $14.75 $19.12
Los Angeles, CA $20.23 $26.24
Minneapolis, MN $18.51 $19.75
Nashville, TN $15.31 $17.16
New York City, NY $23.45 $24.77
Philadelphia, PA $15.40 $21.25
Phoenix, AZ $19.81 $21.15
Portland, OR $18.79 $20.28
Raleigh/Durham, NC $19.94 $20.21
San Antonio, TX $12.70 $15.66
San Diego, CA $17.53 $21.61
San Francisco, CA $23.32 $26.42
Seattle, WA $21.23 $23.57
Washington, DC $19.79 $21.35
Babysitting Rates 2022 Nationally and By City

More fun facts about 2022 caregiver rates:

  • The least expensive city for a sitter is in San Antonio at $12.70/hr for 1 child and the most expensive city is New York City with an average rate of $23.45/hr for 1 child.
  • 40% of nannies nationally make between $30,000 – $50,000 a year.
  • The average pet sitter rate is $16.07/hr and the cost of a dog walk is $18.31.
  • Want a clean home? The average housekeeping rate is $27.83/hr.
  • If you’re in need of a house sitter, 56% pay between $25-50 per day. 

Historic Babysitting Rates

Curious about how babysitting rates have changed over time? See our data from 2012-2021:

Babysitting rates 2021
Babysitting rates 2020
Babysitting rates 2019
Babysitting rates 2018
Babysitting rates 2017
Babysitting rates 2016
Babysitting rates 2015
Babysitting rates 2014
Babysitting rates 2013
Babysitting rates 2012

Looking for child care? Sign up for UrbanSitter to browse babysitter profiles, sort by pay rate, and book jobs online.

Now Offering Pet Sitting, Senior Care and Household Services

Pet Sitting Jobs at UrbanSitter

Overwhelmed with responsibilities at home? Now, you can rely on UrbanSitter for more than just child care—introducing pet sitting, senior care, and lots of household services, including cleaning, errands, and house sitting!

Pet sitting

Headed on a road trip and can’t bring your pets, or looking for a dog-walker? You’ll find local sitters to care for all of your animals—cats, dogs, birds, hamsters, snakes (oh my!), and more on UrbanSitter.

To book a pet sitter or dog walker click on “Pet Care” from your dashboard and select your type of pet. We’ll automatically find sitters near you, and you’ll see a section on their profile with pet care details and experience.

Senior Care at UrbanSitter

Senior care

Need non-medical companion care for an elderly relative? UrbanSitter offers an affordable solution as many sitters also offer senior caregiving, including fixing meals, assisting with tasks around the house, and friendly conversation. 

To book senior care click on “Senior Care” from your dashboard. Once you pick a caregiver, be sure to fill out the Job Description with details of the job responsibilities.

Household services

Need a helping hand with cleaning, errands, grocery shopping, cooking, and driving, or looking for a part-time household assistant? No request is too big or too small. 

To book household help click on “Household Services” from your dashboard and use the “Willing to help with” filter if you have a specific task in mind (housekeeping, errand help, house sitting, etc.). When making your booking, be sure to describe all of the household services you need in the Job Description.

Find help for the whole household now. Join UrbanSitter and start your free caregiver search today. Relief is only a few clicks away!

Introducing pet sitting!

Exciting news! UrbanSitter now offers pet sitting for dogs, cats and your other lovable animals (birds, hamsters, even snakes!).

To book pet sitting, join UrbanSitter now and filter your search to find sitters who will pet sit dogs, cats or other pets. You’ll see a section on every sitter’s profile with their pet care details and special experience.

Going on a road trip or renting a vacation home and can’t bring pets? Or looking for a break from your dog-walking responsibilities? UrbanSitter has you covered!

Exciting changes on the way for UrbanSitter

background checked sitters

At UrbanSitter, our mission has always been to provide the safest, most trusted place for parents and sitters to connect.

That’s why soon, every babysitter and nanny you book on UrbanSitter will have passed a background check.

While UrbanSitter caregivers have always been required to pass a multi-step background review, we believe it’s important to continue setting the bar for safety higher and lead the childcare industry in trust and safety.

Background checks include:

  • County Criminal Search (Current)
  • National Criminal Search (Standard)
  • Sex Offender Search
  • SSN Trace
  • Global Watchlist Search

While we understand that some sitters currently on UrbanSitter may opt out due to this new requirement, we whole-heartedly believe that requiring a background check is the best way to build the most trusted and reliable childcare service available today.

To learn more about UrbanSitter’s background check policy, please visit this FAQ or email us with questions.

From all of us at UrbanSitter, thanks for your attention and continued support!
September 2019

Announcing our new partnership with Maven, family healthcare on-demand

Maven UrbanSitter partnership

At UrbanSitter, we celebrate parents who take care of their kids and themselves. That’s why we’re excited to announce our partnership with Maven, a go-to app for all family health needs—from on-demand video chats with pregnancy, postpartum, and pediatric specialists to a personal care concierge that assists with making a birth plan or finding a great pediatrician.

“Through our partnership, we’re empowering mothers to make their lives easier by solving their most stressful conundrums—childcare and family health,” said UrbanSitter CEO and co-founder, Lynn Perkins. “I love that our solutions work seamlessly together to provide moms with real, tangible help whenever they need it.”

“Maven and UrbanSitter are both on a mission to help mothers take care of themselves and their families,” said Maven Founder and CEO, Katherine Ryder. “Through Maven, we make it easy to speak with expert women’s and family health providers on-demand. And now we’re so excited to be partnering with UrbanSitter to help mothers get the same high-quality, on-demand access to child care as well.”

As part of our partnership, UrbanSitter members will receive free Maven credits to video chat with sleep specialists, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and more on-demand.

Interested in supporting working parents at your company?
Learn more about UrbanSitter’s corporate childcare benefits.