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Best states for a day care teacher
Quoted expert
Dr. Mark Williams Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
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Day care teacher opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for day care teachers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for day care teachers.We wanted to look at the best states for day care teachers -- where there are plenty of day care teacher jobs to go around and day care teachers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for day care teachers. Delaware is the best state for day care teachers, where the median salary is $31,337.Delaware is the best state, and Haverhill is the city with the highest pay for day care teachers.
10 best states for day care teachers in 2025
1. Delaware
Total day care teacher jobs: 313 Average annual salary: $31,337 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
2. Vermont
Total day care teacher jobs: 188 Average annual salary: $31,178 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
3. Rhode Island
Total day care teacher jobs: 212 Average annual salary: $34,450 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
4. Arizona
Total day care teacher jobs: 1,822 Average annual salary: $29,118 Lowest 10 percent earn: $21,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Location Quotient: 1.71
5. New Hampshire
Total day care teacher jobs: 497 Average annual salary: $29,605 Lowest 10 percent earn: $22,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Location Quotient: 1.56
6. Minnesota
Total day care teacher jobs: 1,540 Average annual salary: $30,198 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
7. Washington
Total day care teacher jobs: 1,297 Average annual salary: $33,310 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
8. Maine
Total day care teacher jobs: 280 Average annual salary: $29,943 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
9. Massachusetts
Total day care teacher jobs: 1,033 Average annual salary: $34,633 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Location Quotient: 0.62
10. Alaska
Total day care teacher jobs: 71 Average annual salary: $33,643 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Location Quotient: 0.47
Day care teacher jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a day care teacher
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a day care teacher
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $31,337 | $23,000 | 961,939 | 313 |
| 2 | Vermont | $31,178 | $23,000 | 623,657 | 188 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $34,450 | $25,000 | 1,059,639 | 212 |
| 4 | Arizona | $29,118 | $21,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,822 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $29,605 | $22,000 | 1,342,795 | 497 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $30,198 | $23,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,540 |
| 7 | Washington | $33,310 | $24,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,297 |
| 8 | Maine | $29,943 | $23,000 | 1,335,907 | 280 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $34,633 | $26,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,033 |
| 10 | Alaska | $33,643 | $26,000 | 739,795 | 71 |
| 11 | Nevada | $27,570 | $19,000 | 2,998,039 | 900 |
| 12 | Illinois | $28,646 | $21,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,276 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $29,611 | $22,000 | 755,393 | 171 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $30,868 | $23,000 | 3,588,184 | 555 |
| 15 | Montana | $27,049 | $20,000 | 1,050,493 | 347 |
| 16 | Mississippi | $27,386 | $20,000 | 2,984,100 | 478 |
| 17 | Oregon | $29,019 | $21,000 | 4,142,776 | 807 |
| 18 | Nebraska | $27,671 | $20,000 | 1,920,076 | 440 |
| 19 | Colorado | $27,878 | $20,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,388 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $27,417 | $20,000 | 1,815,857 | 253 |
| 21 | Utah | $28,288 | $21,000 | 3,101,833 | 458 |
| 22 | New York | $30,242 | $22,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,549 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $30,836 | $23,000 | 693,972 | 279 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $31,822 | $25,000 | 1,427,538 | 124 |
| 25 | Missouri | $26,207 | $19,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,394 |
| 26 | California | $29,543 | $21,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,958 |
| 27 | Ohio | $25,202 | $19,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,103 |
| 28 | Michigan | $24,214 | $18,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,182 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $27,506 | $20,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,267 |
| 30 | Idaho | $26,537 | $19,000 | 1,716,943 | 318 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $25,726 | $19,000 | 869,666 | 201 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $24,731 | $18,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,232 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $23,723 | $17,000 | 579,315 | 145 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $23,392 | $17,000 | 2,088,070 | 524 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $23,947 | $17,000 | 3,930,864 | 705 |
| 36 | Maryland | $23,543 | $17,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,598 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $23,642 | $18,000 | 4,454,189 | 632 |
| 38 | Texas | $25,462 | $18,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,237 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $24,020 | $18,000 | 6,715,984 | 554 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $23,590 | $17,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,097 |
| 41 | New Jersey | $25,291 | $18,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,373 |
| 42 | Virginia | $23,672 | $18,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,793 |
| 43 | Iowa | $22,706 | $17,000 | 3,145,711 | 774 |
| 44 | Alabama | $23,628 | $17,000 | 4,874,747 | 679 |
| 45 | Georgia | $23,112 | $17,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,954 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $22,698 | $16,000 | 4,684,333 | 641 |
| 47 | Kansas | $22,463 | $16,000 | 2,913,123 | 601 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $21,005 | $15,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,026 |
| 49 | Indiana | $22,537 | $17,000 | 6,666,818 | 784 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $22,051 | $16,000 | 3,004,279 | 209 |
| 51 | Florida | $21,744 | $16,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,748 |
Highest paying states for day care teachers
| Rank | State | Avg. Day Care Teacher Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $31,337 |
| 2 | Vermont | $31,178 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $34,450 |
| 4 | Arizona | $29,118 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $29,605 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $30,198 |
| 7 | Washington | $33,310 |
| 8 | Maine | $29,943 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $34,633 |
| 10 | Alaska | $33,643 |
| 11 | Nevada | $27,570 |
| 12 | Illinois | $28,646 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $29,611 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $30,868 |
| 15 | Montana | $27,049 |
| 16 | Mississippi | $27,386 |
| 17 | Oregon | $29,019 |
| 18 | Nebraska | $27,671 |
| 19 | Colorado | $27,878 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $27,417 |
| 21 | Utah | $28,288 |
| 22 | New York | $30,242 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $30,836 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $31,822 |
| 25 | Missouri | $26,207 |
| 26 | California | $29,543 |
| 27 | Ohio | $25,202 |
| 28 | Michigan | $24,214 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $27,506 |
| 30 | Idaho | $26,537 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $25,726 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $24,731 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $23,723 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $23,392 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $23,947 |
| 36 | Maryland | $23,543 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $23,642 |
| 38 | Texas | $25,462 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $24,020 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $23,590 |
| 41 | New Jersey | $25,291 |
| 42 | Virginia | $23,672 |
| 43 | Iowa | $22,706 |
| 44 | Alabama | $23,628 |
| 45 | Georgia | $23,112 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $22,698 |
| 47 | Kansas | $22,463 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $21,005 |
| 49 | Indiana | $22,537 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $22,051 |
| 51 | Florida | $21,744 |
Expert opinions on the best states for day care teachers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for day care teachers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Mark Williams Ph.D.
Professor, Calvin University
If you mean in the field(s) of classics, some private schools and academies are hiring (still) Latin and Greek teachers, especially in the South and Southwest. In the upper Midwest and Northeast, not so much.
Day care teacher best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025