Childcare Salaries
BLS OEWS May 2025 · national and state pay for early educators and center leaders
BLS publishes wages for four occupations that match a childcare job title exactly: childcare workers, preschool teachers, preschool and childcare center directors, and preschool special education teachers.
Those pages carry full percentile tables and pay in every state BLS published.
Most other childcare titles sit inside a broader occupation or borrow a related one, labelled on each page.
Several roles have no BLS occupation at all, and their pages say so rather than invent a number.
No figure on this site is Head Start pay: BLS publishes none.
Salary by state
Childcare Worker salary: median $34,980, pay in 51 of the 50 states + DC (Childcare Workers) →Preschool Teacher salary: median $38,140, pay in 51 of the 50 states + DC (Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education) →Childcare Director salary: median $59,300, pay in 50 of the 50 states + DC (Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare) →Early Childhood Special Education Teacher salary: median $64,830, pay in 45 of the 50 states + DC (Special Education Teachers, Preschool) →Pre-K Teacher salary by state (broader occupation: Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education) →Childcare Teacher salary by state (broader occupation: Childcare Workers) →Classroom salaries by role
| Role | Median shown | What the number is |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare Teacher | $34,980 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 39-9011) |
| Preschool Teacher | $38,140 | BLS occupation (SOC 25-2011) |
| Infant Teacher | $34,980 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 39-9011) |
| Toddler Teacher | $34,980 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 39-9011) |
| Pre-K Teacher | $38,140 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 25-2011) |
| Assistant Teacher | $36,780 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 25-9045) |
| Teacher Aide | $36,780 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 25-9045) |
| Floater Teacher | $34,980 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 39-9011) |
| Childcare Worker | $34,980 | BLS occupation (SOC 39-9011) |
| Head Start Teacher | $38,140 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 25-2011) |
| Early Head Start Teacher | $34,980 | Related occupation (proxy) (SOC 39-9011) |
| Montessori Teacher | $38,140 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 25-2011) |
| School-Age Teacher | $36,560 | Related occupation (proxy) (SOC 39-9032) |
| Early Childhood Special Education Teacher | $64,830 | BLS occupation (SOC 25-2051) |
| Early Intervention Specialist | No BLS figure | No BLS occupation |
| Childcare Substitute | $34,980 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 39-9011) |
| Child and Youth Program Assistant | No BLS figure | No BLS occupation |
| Transitional Kindergarten Teacher | $62,680 | Related occupation (proxy) (SOC 25-2012) |
Leadership and support salaries by role
| Role | Median shown | What the number is |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare Director | $59,300 | BLS occupation (SOC 11-9031) |
| Assistant Director | $59,300 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 11-9031) |
| Curriculum Coordinator | No BLS figure | No BLS occupation |
| Family Child Care Provider | No BLS figure | No BLS occupation |
| Head Start Director | $59,300 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 11-9031) |
| Family Advocate | No BLS figure | No BLS occupation |
| Childcare Administrator | No BLS figure | No BLS occupation |
| Childcare Cook | No BLS figure | No BLS occupation |
| ECE Coach | No BLS figure | No BLS occupation |
| Childcare Licensing Specialist | No BLS figure | No BLS occupation |
| Home Visitor | No BLS figure | No BLS occupation |
Medians are annual, BLS OEWS May 2025, for wage-and-salary workers only (no self-employed, private households, overtime or most bonuses). Preschool special education, kindergarten and teaching assistant pay is published by BLS as annual pay only.