Day care worker demographics and statistics in the US
Day care worker demographics research summary. Zippia estimates day care worker demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our day care worker estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about day care workers after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 157,600 day care workers currently employed in the United States.
- 87.7% of all day care workers are women, while 12.3% are men.
- The average day care worker age is 37 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of day care workers is White (59.5%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (16.5%), Black or African American (9.8%) and Asian (7.1%).
- In 2022, women earned 97% of what men earned.
- 4% of all day care workers are LGBT.
- Day care workers are 54% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to education companies.
On this page
Day care worker demographics by:
Day care worker gender statistics
87.7% of day care workers are women and 12.3% of day care workers are men.
- Female, 87.7%
- Male, 12.3%
Day care worker gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 87.7% |
| Male | 12.3% |
Day care worker gender pay gap
Women earn 97¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$29,528
Female income
$28,505
Day care worker gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in day care worker positions over time. Currently, 87.7% of day care workers are female.
Day care worker gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 12.65% | 87.35% |
| 2011 | 11.93% | 88.07% |
| 2012 | 11.66% | 88.34% |
| 2013 | 12.48% | 87.52% |
| 2014 | 12.50% | 87.50% |
| 2015 | 12.03% | 87.97% |
| 2016 | 13.67% | 86.33% |
| 2017 | 13.49% | 86.51% |
| 2018 | 13.02% | 86.98% |
| 2019 | 14.09% | 85.91% |
| 2020 | 12.98% | 87.02% |
| 2021 | 12.33% | 87.67% |
Day care worker related jobs gender ratio
We compared day care workers with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, camp boss and valet have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Infant Childcare Provider | 3% | 97% |
| Daycare Owner | 4% | 96% |
| Professional Nanny | 5% | 95% |
| Day Care Worker | 12% | 88% |
| Intramural Director | 82% | 18% |
| Valet | 85% | 15% |
| Camp Boss | 88% | 12% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Day care worker demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among day care workers is White, which makes up 59.5% of all day care workers. Comparatively, 16.5% of day care workers are Hispanic or Latino and 9.8% of day care workers are Black or African American.
- White, 59.5%
- Hispanic or Latino, 16.5%
- Black or African American, 9.8%
- Asian, 7.1%
- Unknown, 6.0%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
Day care worker race
| Day care worker race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 59.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16.5% |
| Black or African American | 9.8% |
| Asian | 7.1% |
| Unknown | 6.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.1% |
Day care worker race and ethnicity over time
See how day care worker racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Day care worker race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 64.52% | 13.77% | 5.62% | 13.30% |
| 2011 | 64.07% | 14.42% | 5.50% | 12.72% |
| 2012 | 63.45% | 13.74% | 5.65% | 13.97% |
| 2013 | 64.48% | 13.13% | 5.87% | 13.14% |
| 2014 | 64.67% | 12.85% | 6.00% | 13.23% |
| 2015 | 64.91% | 12.58% | 5.84% | 13.37% |
| 2016 | 64.95% | 12.31% | 5.76% | 13.67% |
| 2017 | 63.86% | 11.94% | 6.13% | 14.38% |
| 2018 | 64.61% | 10.60% | 6.30% | 14.91% |
| 2019 | 63.92% | 10.19% | 6.97% | 15.43% |
| 2020 | 61.83% | 10.82% | 6.97% | 14.94% |
| 2021 | 59.51% | 9.84% | 7.13% | 16.54% |
Day care worker wage gap by race
According to our data, black or african american day care workers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Unknown day care workers have the lowest average salary at $27,940.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $27,940 |
| White | $29,063 |
| Black or African American | $30,701 |
| Asian | $30,117 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $29,896 |
Average day care worker age
See how the average age of day care workers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Day care worker age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Black or African American | 38 | 37 |
| Unknown | 27 | 30 |
| Asian | 45 | 46 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 32 | 37 |
| White | 30 | 33 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 36.5 |
Day care worker age breakdown
The average age of day care workers is 40+ years years old, representing 41% of the day care worker population.
Day care worker age breakdown
| Day Care Worker Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 41% |
| 30-40 years | 21% |
| 20-30 years | 33% |
Day care worker educational attainment
The most common degree for day care workers is bachelor's degree, with 37% of day care workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 32% and high school diploma degree at 18%.
- Bachelor's, 37%
- High School Diploma, 32%
- Associate, 18%
- Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 8%
Day care workers by degree level
| Day care worker degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 37% |
| High School Diploma | 32% |
| Associate | 18% |
| Diploma | 5% |
| Other Degrees | 8% |
Day care worker jobs you might like
Day care worker wage gap by degree level
According to the data, day care workers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $34,496 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, day care workers earn a median annual income of $30,943 compared to $28,741 for day care workers with an Associate degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $34,496 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $26,836 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $30,943 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $28,741 |
Day care worker employment statistics
Most day care workers work for a private in the education industry.
Company size where day care workers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where day care workers work.
Day care worker jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 13% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 29% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 27% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 11% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 13% |
| > 10,000 employees | 8% |
Day care worker jobs by company type
Employees with the day care worker job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most day care workers prefer to work at private companies over education companies.
Day care worker jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 34% |
| Public | 3% |
| Private | 54% |
| Government | 9% |
Day care worker jobs by industry
The most common industries for day care workers are education, non profits and health care.
Day care worker industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 26% |
| Non Profits | 23% |
| Health Care | 19% |
| Professional | 7% |
| Government | 6% |
| Retail | 4% |
| Hospitality | 4% |
| Manufacturing | 3% |
| Construction | 2% |
| Transportation | 1% |
| Finance | 1% |
| Start-up | 1% |
| Fortune 500 | 1% |
| Real Estate | 1% |
| Technology | 1% |
| Insurance | 1% |
Day care worker turnover and employment statistics
Day care worker unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for day care workers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Day care worker unemployment rate by year
| Year | Day care worker unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 10.35% |
| 2011 | 11.13% |
| 2012 | 10.51% |
| 2013 | 9.62% |
| 2014 | 9.07% |
| 2015 | 7.51% |
| 2016 | 6.86% |
| 2017 | 6.65% |
| 2018 | 6.02% |
| 2019 | 5.45% |
| 2020 | 9.58% |
| 2021 | 9.30% |
Average day care worker tenure
The average day care worker stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 1,497 day care workers resumes in Zippia's database.
Day care worker tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 39% |
| 1-2 years | 34% |
| 3-4 years | 11% |
| 5-7 years | 8% |
| 8-10 years | 3% |
| 11+ years | 4% |
Day care worker LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of day care workers that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Day Care Worker | 4.43% | - |
| Butler | 5.80% | 1,686 |
| Personal Support Worker | 6.73% | 126,563 |
| Recreation Manager | 8.12% | 3,137 |
| Residential Life Director | 12.72% | 23,230 |
| Fitness Teacher | 13.13% | 57,374 |
Similar day care worker jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Butler | 5.80% | 1,686 |
| Personal Support Worker | 6.73% | 126,563 |
| Recreation Manager | 8.12% | 3,137 |
| Residential Life Director | 12.72% | 23,230 |
| Fitness Teacher | 13.13% | 57,374 |
Foreign languages spoken by day care workers
The most common foreign language among day care workers is Spanish at 66.7%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 10.0% and Chinese is the third-most popular at 6.7%.
- Spanish, 66.7%
- French, 10.0%
- Chinese, 6.7%
- Mandarin, 6.7%
- German, 3.3%
- Other, 6.6%
Day care worker languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 66.7% |
| French | 10.0% |
| Chinese | 6.7% |
| Mandarin | 6.7% |
| German | 3.3% |
| Other | 6.6% |
