Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
About these figures. BLS publishes wages, growth, openings and typical education for this occupation as a whole (SOC 39-9011); 1 related specialty shares them.
State licensing. Childcare Workers is licensed or registered in 5 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 2 professional certifications to Childcare Workers. 1 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Child Development Associate (CDA). Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. On average, workers stand or walk about 4.6 hours and sit about 2.1 hours per day. The typical heaviest weight lifted or carried is about 25.0 pounds. For 60.1% of workers the job requires light strength. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (over 99.5%), have a consistently fast work pace (40.2%), cannot pause their work (82.2%), and are exposed to the outdoors (86.4%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round workers ages 25 to 64 in the occupation group that includes childcare workers (2 related careers are counted together), median yearly pay is $30,500 with a high school diploma or GED, $32,500 with some college or an associate's degree, $35,500 with a bachelor's degree and $47,900 with a master's degree or higher (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of workers in the occupation group that includes childcare workers (2 related careers are counted together) work in Health Care and Social Assistance (58%), Other Services (except Public Administration) (23%), Educational Services (15%) and Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (2%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most workers in the occupation group that includes childcare workers (2 related careers are counted together) are Child Care Services (52% of the jobs counted, median pay $34,170), Elementary and Secondary Schools (22% of the jobs counted, median pay $37,020), Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (6% of the jobs counted, median pay $29,100), Civic and Social Organizations (5% of the jobs counted, median pay $32,220) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Elementary and Secondary Schools ($37,020), Individual and Family Services ($36,990), Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals ($34,900). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
What workers studied. Among workers in the occupation group that includes childcare workers (2 related careers are counted together) with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Psychology (9%), General Education (7%), Elementary Education (5%) and Business Management and Administration (4%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Injury and illness rates. For the occupation group that includes childcare workers (2 related careers are counted together) (BLS category "Childcare workers"), employers reported 185.7 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 4 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Personal care and service", which includes this career, 4.0% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $907 for union members and $750 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to childcare workers.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Service", which includes this career, 52% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 51% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 70% had paid sick leave, 60% paid vacation and 59% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to childcare workers, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $27.17 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Service" in June 2026 ($19.59 in wages and salaries and $7.58 in benefits, 27.9% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for childcare workers are: contact with others (95%), work with or contribute to a work group or team (89%), physical proximity (83%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (82%), freedom to make decisions (81%), indoors, environmentally controlled (81%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (35% of 67 respondents) was "over 1 year, up to and including 2 years"; for on-site or in-plant training, the most common answer (33% of 67 respondents) was "up to and including 1 month"; for on-the-job training, the most common answer (44% of 66 respondents) was "anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to childcare workers in the work done and the skills used: Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education, Nannies, Personal Care Aides, Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education, Home Health Aides, Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education, Health Education Specialists, Special Education Teachers, Secondary School (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Pay by state. See what childcare workers earn in each state, with the pay range and number of jobs: Childcare Workers salary by state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025).
Compare childcare workers with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
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