It’s common knowledge that childcare is expensive, but recent data shows that costs are soaring even higher.
New data from Urban Sitter Generally, on average, babysitting rates in the U.S. rose significantly in the past year—specifically by about 9.7%. As the online caregiver platform points out, this increase outpaces inflation, which currently sits at 7.1%. On average, rates as high as $22.68/hr are now typical for babysitting one child and $25.37/hr is he hourly rate for watching two, the data says.
As Axios points out, a recent survey says that 51% of U.S. parents were spending over 20% of their income on child care — significantly more than the 7% that the federal government deems “affordable,” the outlet said.
UrbanSitter evaluated rates across major U.S. cities and found that the highest babysitting rates were in the San Francisco Bay Area ($25.24 an hour for one child) and Seattle ($24.60). This is higher than New York City’s $23.45/hr, which is surprising since the location is the country’s most expensive place to live in according to a U.S. World News analysis.
Springfield, Missouri, had the lowest babysitting rate, at $11.35.
The increase is likely due to a “pandemic-era need for configurable care — perhaps a babysitter two days a week, and other arrangements for the rest — has waned as employers yank folks back into the workplace,” Lynn Perkins, the founder and CEO of UrbanSitter, told Axios.
The outlet points out there may some reprieve for cash-strapped parents as a small group of states are starting to offer child care subsidies — including New York, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maine and Connecticut.