Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of child care worker salary by state for the United States in 2026:
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Massachusetts has the highest child care worker salary of $41,731
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Alaska has the lowest child care worker salary of $22,953
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The national average salary for child care workers is $31,284
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The national hourly pay for child care workers is $15.04
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
In surveys conducted across diverse demographics, salary consistently emerges as the most important aspect of a job for many individuals. This makes understanding how much child care workers earn in your locality crucial.
While individual salaries can vary based on multiple factors, we have robust data on average salaries for child care workers by state, segmented by seniority level. Although salaries may differ slightly from the state average depending on your city, these figures provide a valuable benchmark.
The state with the highest average salary for child care workers remains Massachusetts.
Here’s a snapshot of the top ten states for child care worker salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Child Care Workers By State
| Rank | State | Average Child Care Worker Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $41,731 | $28,000 | $62,000 |
| 2 | Washington | $40,434 | $27,000 | $58,000 |
| 3 | Hawaii | $38,865 | $33,000 | $45,000 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $38,201 | $24,000 | $60,000 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $37,280 | $24,000 | $57,000 |
| 6 | California | $37,176 | $22,000 | $60,000 |
| 7 | Maine | $36,639 | $28,000 | $46,000 |
| 8 | Delaware | $36,486 | $22,000 | $58,000 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $35,883 | $23,000 | $55,000 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $35,004 | $24,000 | $49,000 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $34,804 | $22,000 | $53,000 |
| 12 | New York | $34,682 | $21,000 | $55,000 |
| 13 | Vermont | $33,907 | $25,000 | $44,000 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $33,856 | $21,000 | $54,000 |
| 15 | Idaho | $33,773 | $22,000 | $50,000 |
| 16 | Nevada | $33,397 | $20,000 | $53,000 |
| 17 | Michigan | $33,067 | $22,000 | $49,000 |
| 18 | Ohio | $32,104 | $20,000 | $49,000 |
| 19 | Oregon | $32,097 | $21,000 | $48,000 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $31,716 | $22,000 | $43,000 |
| 21 | Arizona | $31,467 | $19,000 | $50,000 |
| 22 | Colorado | $31,400 | $20,000 | $48,000 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $30,889 | $21,000 | $44,000 |
| 24 | Maryland | $30,427 | $19,000 | $48,000 |
| 25 | Illinois | $30,171 | $20,000 | $44,000 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $29,415 | $22,000 | $39,000 |
| 27 | Virginia | $29,026 | $18,000 | $45,000 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $28,872 | $18,000 | $44,000 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $28,774 | $17,000 | $46,000 |
| 30 | Texas | $28,767 | $18,000 | $45,000 |
| 31 | Missouri | $28,272 | $18,000 | $42,000 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $28,081 | $19,000 | $41,000 |
| 33 | Utah | $27,995 | $18,000 | $42,000 |
| 34 | Georgia | $27,781 | $17,000 | $43,000 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $27,607 | $19,000 | $39,000 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $27,527 | $17,000 | $43,000 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $27,248 | $17,000 | $42,000 |
| 38 | Montana | $27,144 | $19,000 | $37,000 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $27,027 | $17,000 | $42,000 |
| 40 | Kansas | $26,842 | $17,000 | $41,000 |
| 41 | Florida | $26,827 | $16,000 | $42,000 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $26,627 | $17,000 | $41,000 |
| 43 | Iowa | $26,120 | $17,000 | $38,000 |
| 44 | Alabama | $25,506 | $16,000 | $39,000 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $25,043 | $16,000 | $37,000 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $24,975 | $16,000 | $38,000 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $24,332 | $15,000 | $38,000 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $23,479 | $15,000 | $36,000 |
| 49 | Indiana | $23,353 | $15,000 | $35,000 |
| 50 | Alaska | $22,953 | $19,000 | $27,000 |
Methodology: Child Care Worker Salary By State
To better understand child care worker pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data from various sources, including the BLS, FLC, and OPM, and supplemented it with actual salaries from job postings. The data science team then calculates a weighted average to provide an accurate estimate of average pay for child care workers across states.
We ranked every state based on these average annual salary estimates, with the state offering the highest salary ranked first.
Child Care Worker Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for child care workers?
The highest-paid state for child care workers is Massachusetts, with an average salary of $41,731 per year.
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What city pays child care workers the most?
Worcester, MA pays child care workers the most, with an average salary of $41,953 per year.
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What is the worst state for child care workers?
The worst state for child care workers is Alaska, with an average salary of $22,953 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
