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.

5 Helpful Tips to Get an After School Care Sitter and Rates

After school sitter, picking up kids from school, after school babysitter

Finding after school care and the perfect after-school babysitter is more than a matter of luck. We surveyed 500 sitters who are looking for an after-school job this fall to find out what would influence them to take the after school nanny job and what hourly rate they’d expect. Based on their feedback here are 5 tips to help you secure your after school sitter and what hourly rate to pay (the average and by region).

1. Provide a Gas Allowance

Soaring gas prices are top of mind for sitters who will be using their own car for school pick-ups. With 69% influenced by an allowance for gas, this is definitely a factor sitters consider when determining if the job is a fit for them.

2. Guarantee Weekly Hours

To make an after-school job worthwhile, a majority of sitters (66%) want guaranteed hours each week. 50% prefer 10-20 hours per week, and 24% between 20-25 hours per week.

3. Consider a Flexible Schedule

If your family’s schedule allows it, offering a flexible schedule is highly sought after and would influence 64% of sitters to say yes to an after-school job offer. One option for flexibility is to allow the sitter to choose which three days of the week they work (M-W-F or Tu-Th-F) or certain days they stay later and others they don’t.

4. Pay a Competitive After-School Babysitter Rate

One of the top questions is how much should you pay an after-school sitter in 2022? The ideal hourly after school babysitter rate is around $20 per hour—that’s around $300 per week based on 15 hours. With that said, there is variability by city and region. The Northeast region is the most expensive per hour at $21.60/hour. The least expensive region is the Midwest at $17.33/hour. To attract the right sitter for pick ups and after school, ensure you are offering a competitive baby sitter hourly rate for your city.

RegionAverage Hourly Rate
Per Region		Weekly Rate
(Based on 15 Hours)
Northeast$21.60$323.93
Southeast$17.37$260.61
Southwest$17.39$260.80
Midwest$17.33$259.96
West$21.58$323.64
Pacific Northwest$20.89$313.34
National Average$20.57$308.55

If you’re looking for an alternative to an hourly rate, according to our survey, 49% of sitters offer flat rates. Flat rates are usually offered by the day with 51% stating they offer daily rates, 26% offer weekly flat rates and 12% offer monthly flat rates.

5. Include Other Perks

Including a few other perks in the job, such as offering a car service when the sitter works late, is another popular deal sweetener. Easy parking and convenient location also ranked highly for sitters. 

Set yourself up for Success in Finding After-School Care

Communication is essential in hiring an after school sitter. Communicate if you have flexibility in the hours for the position. If the sitter drives the kids in their car, communicate about an added gas allowance. It’s also helpful to provide an estimate of how many hours a week or month you’ll need. With COVID-19 still a concern, it’s important to be transparent about vaccination status and if you are looking for a vaccinated after school sitter. UrbanSitter makes it easy for you to communicate all these details in a job post and view a caregiver’s vaccination status badge. You’re sure to find the perfect person to provide after school care if you follow these 5 helpful tips and pay a competitive hourly after school care rate.

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

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.

Babysitter Job Description: Sitter Responsibilities and Chores

Take a poll of the parents you know, and you’ll realize that babysitter job descriptions vary greatly (child care responsibilities, chores for sitter, driving duties, etc.) just as much as compensation varies from family to family. One friend might expect to come home to a clean house with toys put away and the laundry done. Another friend may be horrified at the thought of their babysitter folding their clothing. Neither approach is wrong. With any manager-report relationship, it’s important to have an idea of what’s on your babysitter job description to set clear expectations of the responsibilities and chores for your sitter up-front.

Know your priorities.

The main task of any caregiver is to supervise your children and keep them safe. While there’s no set protocol for caregivers to follow, you can expect a babysitter to follow your directions. The “normal” responsibilities of child care include making meals, changing diapers, diffusing arguments between siblings, engaging with children in conversation, entertaining them with games and crafts, putting them to bed, and so on.

You can always ask your sitter if they are willing to do extra chores if there is time. Do keep in mind that chores aren’t in the standard babysitter job description. Asking a sitter to do extra should go hand-in-hand with extra compensation, or at the very least, abundant verbal appreciation.

Identify what you want and keep it reasonable.

Have you gone through your chore list and identified the tasks that are babysitter-appropriate? Do you dislike feeding the fish or dusting the bookshelves? These small tasks are the perfect type of tasks for a babysitter to take on. Expecting a babysitter to grocery shop with the kids in tow might be unrealistic depending on their experience. However, asking a sitter to scrub your bathrooms is taking advantage of them (unless you’re paying extra and the sitter seems open to it). Having the sitter take the garbage and recycling out after the kids are asleep might cross a simple to-do off your list while asking minimal effort on the sitter’s end. If you expect your sitter to do larger chores, for example washing a week’s worth of dishes you’ve left in the sink — be sure to compensate the sitter.

If you’ve hired an after-school babysitter, refer to this list of specific after-school responsibilities.

Expect simple tidying.

While there are no strict rules on tidying up — although most sitters do, as a matter of common courtesy — it’s not unfair to expect that your sitter will clean up any messes made while on the clock or that involve the kids. Let’s face it, some parts of childcare are messy! Meal preparation, giving baths, playing with toys, feeding young children, even potty training can leave behind a small trail of destruction. It would be nice if you came home to a house that was at least as clean as when you left it.

If a sitter continually leaves your home looking like a tornado passed through, it’s time to have a discussion. You can approach it by saying, “We’re really trying to get the kids to be more conscious about their messes. Before bedtime, will you make sure everyone is involved in putting away toys, clearing the table, and so on?” If your family has a clean-up game or song that gets everyone motivated, share it with your sitter.

babysitter job description, babysitter chores, sitter chores, sitter responsibilities

Assess your sitter’s abilities.

If you have a young, inexperienced babysitter watching the kids while you run a few quick errands, it may be all the sitter can handle to keep the kids entertained and out of harm’s way. Don’t hand her extra tasks that could take away time from her main objective. If you’ll be gone several hours and have a caregiver who’s comfortable with your kids and your routines, the caregiver is most likely able to juggle vacuuming or folding laundry at the same time.

Does your sitter have any special qualifications that would help her better tackle your extra requests? If you have a sitter who knows nothing about foreign languages, you probably shouldn’t task the sitter with overseeing your child’s French homework. Now, if your sitter lifeguards during the summer, asking the sitter to take the kids swimming at the neighborhood pool might be the perfect request!

It’s also reasonable to ask a capable sitter to make sure the children carry out their chores. If it’s your daughter’s job to set the table or your son’s job to walk the dog, let the babysitter know. Give your sitter the authority and tools to see that they’re done. Make it clear to the kids that the babysitter is in charge. And that there will be consequences if they don’t take care of their responsibilities.

Communicate expectations clearly.

Many sitter chores fall into a gray area that you may consider inclusive of childcare. However, they may not be on the radar screen of your sitter. Before you hire a sitter be sure to discuss any duties outside of “hanging out at the house”. Some of these babysitter responsibilities may include:

  • Taking/driving the children to and from activities such as music lessons, karate, dance, etc.
  • Changing diapers and helping with potty training
  • Supervising play dates with other children
  • Helping with homework
  • Meal (or bottle) preparation and feeding
  • Following the bedtime routine (changing into pajamas, brushing teeth, reading books, etc.)
  • Actively entertaining children, not just relaxing in front of TV/movies
  • Doing light housework
  • Making sure the children do their chores (such as picking up their toys)

If any of these activities are in your babysitter job description, let them know before you offer the position. This way the sitter has a clear set of expectations and can decide if the babysitting job is the right fit.

As you consider the glorious possibility of never taking out the garbage or coming home to a dirty playroom again, remember, clear communication of everyone’s responsibilities will keep you and your babysitter on the same page.

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

2021 Babysitting Rates & Childcare Costs Study

Wondering what average babysitting rates are in 2021?

Every year, UrbanSitter calculates average rates across the nation from the tens of thousands of babysitting jobs booked on its site and app. While sitters typically base their rates on child care experience, job responsibilities and the local cost of living, these averages can help set a baseline when you’re hiring a babysitter or nanny or when you’re deciding how much to charge for babysitting. Read on for the average babysitting rates in your city, plus more fun facts. The national average is $18.36/hour for 1 child and $21.23/hour for 2 children.

2021 babysitting rates

Find your specific city’s rate now:

Babysitting Rates 2021

Area/U.S. CityHourly Rate for 1 ChildHourly Rate for 2 Children
National$18.36$21.23
Atlanta, GA$16.86$17.47
Austin, TX$17.26$19.49
Boston, MA$18.69 $21.13
Chicago, IL$16.06$17.02
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX$13.72$16.50
Denver, CO$15.84$18.89
Houston, TX $17.07 $19.10
Las Vegas, NV $12.53 $17.18
Los Angeles, CA $18.26 $24.80
Nashville, TN $15.31 $17.16
New York City, NY $18.94 $22.13
Philadelphia, PA $15.19 $17.09
Phoenix, AZ $16.70 $19.52
Portland, OR$15.98 $17.30
San Antonio, TX$12.54 $13.55
San Diego, CA $16.02 $19.60
San Francisco, CA$21.17 $23.56
Seattle, WA $18.82 $20.67
Washington, DC $18.00 $19.38

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

Keeping Families and Caregivers Healthy

Coronavirus and Urbansitter

Updated 3/25/20

Family and sitter health is a top priority for the UrbanSitter community.   With concerns over Coronavirus increasing coupled with school closures and geographic areas under “shelter-in-place” restrictions we would like to remind our community of the following: 

  • We encourage everyone to refer to the CDC and local department of health websites for specific instructions and restrictions, which may vary by city or county.
  • If your area has a “shelter-in-place” order in effect, check your area’s guidelines to understand any policies related to childcare.  For example, in the San Francisco Bay Area, where a “shelter-in-place” order is in effect, home-based care for seniors, adults or children is currently classified as an “essential service” and permitted in all seven impacted counties, as long as the care is performed in the family’s home. In Colorado, however, there are more restrictions and unless the caregiver is living with the family, providing medical care to the child or is providing care in order to allow parents/guardians to work for an Essential Business or perform an Essential Government function it is not permitted. All parties must comply with all other aspects of the shelter-in-place order. Regulations vary both by location and time period so please regularly check your local department of health websites.
  • We encourage open communication regarding family and sitter health status. So, as always, if a child, a family member or caregiver is sick or has a fever, please disclose this information, with symptoms and relevant doctor information, to the other party so that families and caregivers can make informed decisions about whether to cancel a job. Specific to the Coronavirus, the CDC recommends that people should self-quarantine for 14 days if you have been in contact in the last 14-days with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
  • Jobs should be canceled if a caregiver or anyone in the family they are working for fits into one of the above categories. Jobs should not be posted and booking requests should not be sent if a family member fits any of those criteria as well. Click here for more information.
  • Families and childcare providers should continue to follow CDC guidelines for keeping homes safe.  This includes good hygiene practices such as washing hands upon arrival, before handling food and at regular intervals.

We also encourage creative solutions for childcare.   Anything we can all to do reduce the number of social interactions we’re having the better, so parents and sitters may start to see requests from each other such as:

  • Parents may start requesting remote sitting, using online video conferencing, to keep kids entertained and help with homeschooling.  These jobs might be for shorter increments of time. Sitters and parents can think creatively about virtual activities like storytime, charades and age-appropriate games like, “I spy…”
  • Parents who need in-home childcare and have a spare room may offer to have the childcare provider “shelter in place” with them.
  • Sitters may ask for a minimum number of hours per week with each family to be able to limit the number of families they are working with.
  • Sitters may ask for rides to and from work if they do not have cars, to avoid public transportation.

We hope everyone stays healthy.

Your UrbanSitter Team

 

 

(As of 3/13/2020)

Family and sitter health is top priority for the UrbanSitter community.   With concerns over Coronavirus increasing and school closures happening around the country, we wanted to remind our community of the following:

We are encouraging open communication regarding family and sitter health status. So, as always, if a child, a family member or caregiver is sick or has a fever, please disclose this information, with symptoms and relevant doctor information, to the other party so that families and caregivers can make informed decisions about whether to cancel a job.

Specific to the Coronavirus, the CDC recommends that people should self-quarantine for 14 days if:

  • You have been in contact in the last 14-days with someone diagnosed with COVID-19
  • You have traveled to a CDC-designated level 2 or 3 area in the last 14 days

Jobs should be canceled if a caregiver or anyone in the family they are working for fits into one of the above categories.  Jobs should not be posted and booking requests should not be sent if a family member fits any of that criteria as well.

The CDC also recommends the following steps to protect yourself and other family members:

  1. Get your flu shot to protect against flu or symptoms similar to novel coronavirus.
  2. Wash your hands with liquid soap and water, and rub for at least 20 seconds.
  3. Cover your cough or sneeze.
  4. Stay home if you are sick, and keep sick family members at home until symptoms resolve.

Additionally, here are some requests that both parties should expect to encounter when communicating about child care jobs and scheduling bookings:

  • Sharing information about any travel within the past 14 days
  • Request to take temperature before leaving for the job or upon arrival at the job (for both sitter and family)
  • Disclosing information about exposure to large groups, events or activities within the past 14 days
  • Request to wash hands immediately upon arrival

Here are the latest recommendations from the CDC on how to keep workplaces and homes safe.
As the situation is changing rapidly, the CDC and local department of health websites are great sources for the most up-to-date information and recommendations.

We hope everyone stays healthy.
Your UrbanSitter Team

COVID-19’s impact on babysitters and caregivers

infant playing

Wondering how babysitters and nannies are being impacted by shelter-in-place and social distancing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic? In April 2020, we surveyed more than 600 UrbanSitter sitters and nannies and here’s what they had to say:

Income struggle

  • Sitters & nannies reported an average of an 84% drop in babysitting business since COVID-19.
  • 15% of sitters and nannies are supplementing their income by working in food delivery, finding online work such as teaching, tutoring and virtual babysitting, or by filing for unemployment.

Eager for work

  • 68% are willing to work for parents who are “essential workers” in fields such as healthcare, grocery and government.
  • 20% would move in and “shelter-in-place” with a family and another 24% said they might consider it.
  • 90% would also commit to working with just one family if enough hours were guaranteed. 45% of those sitters said they’d want more than 20 hours of work per week guaranteed.

Virtual babysitting

  • 74% of sitters are interested in “virtual babysitting” jobs to entertain kids for limited periods of time over video chat, while a parent is at home but working or occupied with other tasks.
  • Of these sitters, 57% would charge their normal babysitting hourly rate, while 32% would charge less, and 11% would charge more than their normal rate.
  • 89% have a special talent that would engage kids virtually. Top talents include reading stories, singing, teaching yoga, helping with homeschooling/tutoring, teaching a foreign language and dancing.

Looking to hire a virtual or in-person babysitter or nanny during COVID-19? UrbanSitter is open for business.

2020 Babysitting Rates & Childcare Costs Study

Wondering how much to pay your babysitter in 2020? According to UrbanSitter and their 9th annual child care study of more than 25,000 families across the U.S., the average hourly babysitting rate is $17.73 for one child and $20.30 for two children. Read on for the average babysitting rates in your city, plus more fun facts. 2020-Rates-Infographic

How Much Does Babysitting Cost in 2019

Babysitter

1105_newsletter

As you prepare to hire a babysitter, the important question of pricing may be looming in the back of your mind. While this is not a service that you want to cut corners on or skimp on, you also do not want to pay more than you need to for quality childcare services. As you decide how much money to offer your babysitter, keep these important factors in mind.

Factors Influencing Babysitting Rates

Babysitting rates vary dramatically based on several factors. These include the experience of the babysitter and his or her credentials. Consider that a professional nanny with a lengthy list of references may understandably charge more than a teenage babysitter who picks up odd jobs on the weekends. Your location will also play a role in the rate for childcare services. The minimum wage in your area should serve as a starting point when setting a threshold. The demand for babysitters, your need for special services, the number of children who will be cared for, the children’s ages and many other factors all must be taken into consideration.

The Difference Between Full-Time and Part-Time Care

There is a difference in the process of hiring a full-time vs. part-time babysitter. Full-time typically means being salaried with paid time off, holidays, etc, written in a contract, while part-time is normally paid out hourly but with set days/times. So be sure you know the minimum wage laws, but also do your research to know what the average rates in your area are for full-time nannies. If you are looking for one-time or part-time care, a slightly lower hourly rate may be reasonable.
The National Average for 2019

The National Average for 2019

The average hourly rate for one child is $16.75 in the U.S. for 2019. The national average for two children is $19.26 per hour. Additional children will raise the average rate further. Before you decide how much to pay for childcare services, consider asking your friends and neighbors how much they pay for their preferred babysitter. By polling several parents and making adjustments for the various relevant factors, you can better determine how much you should pay for the services that you need.

Many babysitters and nannies have a minimum rate that they are willing to work for. While you should research local rates, you also should ask the individuals whom you are interested in hiring what they charge. Through your research, you can determine if their requested rate is reasonable for your needs and for the area.