Childcare Teacher Salary (Daycare Teacher Pay)
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Broader BLS occupation: SOC 39-9011 Childcare Workers
BLS publishes no separate wage for lead teachers at childcare centers; this is all childcare workers (SOC 39-9011), employees only.
Many center lead teachers are counted as preschool teachers (SOC 25-2011) instead.
Annual figures are BLS hourly wages × 2,080 hours. OEWS covers wage-and-salary workers only, so it leaves out the self-employed, workers in private households, overtime pay and most bonuses.
What the BLS figure covers
These are BLS figures for every worker in SOC 39-9011 Childcare Workers.
BLS publishes no separate series or percentiles for childcare teachers, so this page does not show a percentile table for the role.
Which BLS number fits a daycare teacher?
BLS has no daycare teacher occupation.
Center classroom staff are counted in two occupations, childcare workers (SOC 39-9011) and preschool teachers (SOC 25-2011), and many lead teachers at childcare centers are counted as preschool teachers.
In May 2025, 34.6% of all jobs in child care services were preschool teachers, 26.9% were childcare workers, 14.0% were teaching assistants and 6.0% were center directors.
| Employer setting (BLS) | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare workers in child care services | $34,170 | $16.43 |
| Childcare workers in elementary and secondary schools | — | $17.80 |
| Preschool teachers in child care services | $36,850 | $17.72 |
| All childcare workers (SOC 39-9011) | $34,980 | $16.82 |
| All preschool teachers (SOC 25-2011) | $38,140 | $18.34 |
Medians, BLS OEWS May 2025. Child care services is NAICS 6244. Only the hourly median is shown for childcare workers in schools.
Preschool teacher salary: percentiles and pay in every state →Childcare worker salary: percentiles and pay in every state →Childcare Workers Salary by State
Median annual wage for SOC 39-9011 Childcare Workers in each state, BLS OEWS May 2025, alphabetical. "vs. U.S." compares the state median with the national median of $34,980; it is not adjusted for living costs.
BLS has no state series for childcare teachers; these are the figures for all childcare workers, shown as a labelled proxy.
| State | Median | Hourly | Jobs | vs. U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $22,720 | $10.92 | 4,580 | −35% |
| Alaska | $36,200 | $17.40 | 1,340 | +3% |
| Arizona | $35,100 | $16.88 | 5,530 | +0% |
| Arkansas | $28,450 | $13.68 | 5,400 | −19% |
| California | $40,020 | $19.24 | 52,780 | +14% |
| Colorado | $40,750 | $19.59 | 13,310 | +16% |
| Connecticut | $36,660 | $17.63 | 12,020 | +5% |
| Delaware | $33,210 | $15.97 | 1,230 | −5% |
| District of Columbia | $47,340 | $22.76 | 1,350 | +35% |
| Florida | $34,210 | $16.45 | 21,760 | −2% |
| Georgia | $28,020 | $13.47 | 21,040 | −20% |
| Hawaii | $37,030 | $17.80 | 1,870 | +6% |
| Idaho | $30,160 | $14.50 | 4,430 | −14% |
| Illinois | $35,830 | $17.23 | 23,900 | +2% |
| Indiana | $30,180 | $14.51 | 8,280 | −14% |
| Iowa | $28,420 | $13.66 | 6,020 | −19% |
| Kansas | $29,240 | $14.06 | 7,430 | −16% |
| Kentucky | $28,920 | $13.90 | 5,820 | −17% |
| Louisiana | $22,900 | $11.01 | 8,000 | −35% |
| Maine | $36,350 | $17.47 | 4,990 | +4% |
| Maryland | $36,030 | $17.32 | 9,750 | +3% |
| Massachusetts | $40,900 | $19.66 | 13,140 | +17% |
| Michigan | $30,970 | $14.89 | 14,010 | −11% |
| Minnesota | $35,520 | $17.08 | 11,570 | +2% |
| Mississippi | $22,050 | $10.60 | 5,420 | −37% |
| Missouri | $30,790 | $14.80 | 12,430 | −12% |
| Montana | $35,120 | $16.89 | 2,190 | +0% |
| Nebraska | $30,740 | $14.78 | 9,390 | −12% |
| Nevada | $29,740 | $14.30 | 3,740 | −15% |
| New Hampshire | $37,080 | $17.83 | 2,820 | +6% |
| New Jersey | $36,390 | $17.49 | 25,070 | +4% |
| New Mexico | $35,840 | $17.23 | 4,120 | +2% |
| New York | $37,590 | $18.07 | 44,020 | +7% |
| North Carolina | $29,140 | $14.01 | 12,550 | −17% |
| North Dakota | $30,290 | $14.56 | 4,030 | −13% |
| Ohio | $29,680 | $14.27 | 11,300 | −15% |
| Oklahoma | $27,730 | $13.33 | 7,590 | −21% |
| Oregon | $38,650 | $18.58 | 5,240 | +10% |
| Pennsylvania | $30,140 | $14.49 | 13,000 | −14% |
| Rhode Island | $36,940 | $17.76 | 1,800 | +6% |
| South Carolina | $29,650 | $14.26 | 10,660 | −15% |
| South Dakota | $27,940 | $13.43 | 2,370 | −20% |
| Tennessee | $29,660 | $14.26 | 13,650 | −15% |
| Texas | $28,570 | $13.73 | 34,160 | −18% |
| Utah | $31,630 | $15.21 | 4,830 | −10% |
| Vermont | $38,030 | $18.29 | Not published | +9% |
| Virginia | $34,330 | $16.51 | 13,930 | −2% |
| Washington | $41,680 | $20.04 | 4,340 | +19% |
| West Virginia | $27,710 | $13.32 | 1,930 | −21% |
| Wisconsin | $32,460 | $15.61 | 5,560 | −7% |
| Wyoming | $28,250 | $13.58 | 1,110 | −19% |
Job outlook
BLS projects childcare worker employment to decline 2% from 2025 to 2035, but about 150,300 openings a year, all from replacing workers who leave the occupation or the workforce.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (Occupational Outlook Handbook), SOC 39-9011 Childcare Workers.
Pay by classroom role
BLS publishes wages by occupation, not job title.
Only a few childcare titles are a BLS occupation; most borrow a broader or related occupation, and several have no BLS figure at all.
Compare figures with the same basis only.
| 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) |
Daycare teacher salary questions
01How much do daycare teachers make?
BLS publishes no separate wage for daycare or childcare center teachers. The closest occupation, childcare workers (SOC 39-9011), had a median of $34,980 a year in May 2025. Many center lead teachers are counted as preschool teachers (SOC 25-2011) instead, and that occupation's median was $38,140.
02How much do daycare teachers make an hour?
The median hourly wage for childcare workers was $16.82 in May 2025, and $16.43 for those working in child care services. Preschool teachers in child care services had a median of $17.72. None of these is a daycare-teacher-only figure.
03Which state pays childcare workers the most?
District of Columbia had the highest childcare worker median in May 2025 at $47,340, and Mississippi the lowest at $22,050. These are not adjusted for living costs, and they cover all childcare workers, not lead teachers alone.
04Do preschool teachers in public schools earn more than daycare teachers?
For preschool teachers (SOC 25-2011), yes: the May 2025 median was $56,750 in elementary and secondary schools versus $36,850 in child care services. Local government schools paid a median of $61,300.
05How much is that a month?
BLS does not publish a monthly figure. Dividing the $34,980 childcare worker median by 12 gives about $2,915 a month before tax; that is our arithmetic, not a BLS statistic.
06Is this Head Start teacher pay?
No. BLS has no Head Start industry or program series, so none of these figures describe Head Start classrooms specifically.