By the Babbez team · Sources opened and checked October 8, 2026
Sittercity puts the average US nanny rate at $25 an hour in its May 2026 provider data. That is $1,000 for a 40-hour week, by our arithmetic. The International Nanny Association's 2022 survey reported a median of $25 and an average of $27. Indeed, Payscale and the Bureau of Labor Statistics print lower figures ($16.82 to $24.46) for different groups.
Key takeaways
- We compared five dated sources. Their hourly figures run from $16.82, the Bureau of Labor Statistics median for all childcare workers in May 2025, to $27, the International Nanny Association (INA) average for nannies in 2022.
- Each source quotes an hourly rate. The weekly, monthly and yearly figures here are our arithmetic: hourly rate times hours.
- Where you live moves the number. Sittercity's October 2026 city list runs from $20.50 an hour in Oklahoma City to $32.50 in San Francisco.
- The hourly rate is pay only. Taxes and wage rules belong to the IRS and the US Department of Labor; we link their pages below and give no advice.
How much does a nanny cost per hour?
Sittercity's national average for May 2026 is $25.00 an hour. Here are all five sources side by side, each with its date and what it measures. We opened every source ourselves on October 8, 2026.
| Source | Data date | What it measures | Hourly | Week at 40 hours (our arithmetic) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sittercity: nanny and babysitter pay rates | May 2026 | Average hourly rate of nannies, US national, from Sittercity's own provider data | $25.00 | $1,000.00 | No sample size or method published. Also lists 61 cities, from $20.50 to $32.50 |
| International Nanny Association: 2022 Salary and Benefits Survey | 2022 pay, collected January 19 to February 19, 2023 | The hourly rate nannies said they receive; 965 answers, nearly all from the US | $25 median; $27 average | $1,000.00 (median); $1,080.00 (average) | Shared by link through INA's own channels, so not a random sample |
| Indeed: babysitter/nanny salary in the United States | Updated October 4, 2026; read October 8, 2026 | Average pay in job postings on Indeed over the past 36 months; babysitters and nannies counted together; 22.1k salaries | $24.46 | $978.40 | Indeed shows a low of $15.97 and a high of $37.47 |
| Payscale: nanny hourly pay | Updated July 4, 2026 | Hourly pay reported by people with the job title Nanny; 2,503 salary profiles | $19.69 | $787.60 | Payscale's range runs from $13.83 at the low end to $26.41 at the high end |
| US Bureau of Labor Statistics: childcare workers | May 2025 | Median hourly wage of all childcare workers at employers; household workers are not counted | $16.82 | $672.80 | Not a nanny-only rate; see the next section |
Each hourly figure is exactly what the source prints. The weekly column is Babbez arithmetic on that source's number (hourly rate × 40 hours), not a figure taken from the source.
Why do these nanny rates disagree?
They count different people in different years, so each answers a slightly different question.
- Who is counted. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figure is for childcare workers as a whole occupation, not nannies alone. BLS says its wage survey "covers wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments and does not include the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers, or unpaid family workers" (BLS: OEWS overview). A nanny paid directly by a family is a household worker, so the $16.82 describes jobs at employers such as daycare centers and schools.
- Where the number comes from. Sittercity reports its own provider data. Indeed averages the pay named in job postings and counts babysitters and nannies as one job. Payscale uses pay that individuals report. INA asked nannies it reached through its own channels.
- When. INA's figures describe 2022 pay, the BLS figure is from May 2025, and the other three were updated in 2026. The year matters: INA's own trend chart shows an average of $19 an hour in 2017 and $27 in 2022.
Sittercity, INA and Payscale count nannies only. The two $25 figures are not the same measure: Sittercity's is a 2026 average and INA's is a 2022 median. We did not average the five figures or adjust any of them for inflation.
How much does a nanny cost per week, per month and per year?
Multiply the hourly rate by the hours. At Sittercity's May 2026 average of $25.00 an hour, a 40-hour week is $1,000, a year of 52 paid weeks is $52,000, and one month is $4,333.33. The table runs the same math on each source's hourly figure.
| Hourly figure and source | Per week (× 40 hours) | Per month (year ÷ 12) | Per year (week × 52) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25.00, Sittercity average (May 2026) and INA median (2022) | $1,000.00 | $4,333.33 | $52,000.00 |
| $27, INA average (2022) | $1,080.00 | $4,680.00 | $56,160.00 |
| $24.46, Indeed, babysitters and nannies together (updated October 2026) | $978.40 | $4,239.73 | $50,876.80 |
| $19.69, Payscale (updated July 2026) | $787.60 | $3,412.93 | $40,955.20 |
| $16.82, BLS, all childcare workers, not nannies alone (May 2025) | $672.80 | $2,915.47 | $34,985.60 |
Every cell is Babbez arithmetic on the named source's hourly figure. It is pay only: it leaves out overtime, employer taxes, benefits and any unpaid weeks. BLS does publish its own yearly figure for childcare workers, a median annual wage of $34,980 in May 2025.
How much does a full-time nanny cost compared with part-time?
The hourly rate is the same starting point; the hours change the bill. INA's 2022 survey treats 35 hours or more a week as full time. Using Sittercity's $25.00 average, 20 hours a week is $500, 30 hours is $750, and five 8-hour days is $1,000. That is our arithmetic, not a published part-time rate. We did not find a separate hourly rate for part-time nannies on any of the five source pages.
How much does a nanny cost in my city or state?
Sittercity lists nanny rates for 61 US cities, last updated October 2026, from $20.50 an hour in Oklahoma City to $32.50 in San Francisco. To look up your city, see Sittercity's rate page.
For states, INA's 2022 report gives average nanny rates, each from a small number of answers. Six examples: California $34 (104 answers), New York $32 (51), Washington $31 (32), Massachusetts $29 (56), Texas $25 (83) and North Carolina $24 (68).
How much does a nanny cost for two children?
The five sources price the nanny, not the number of children. Sittercity's guide suggests adding $1 or $2 an hour for each additional child. In INA's 2022 survey, caring for two children was the most common answer, but its report gives no hourly rate by number of children.
What does a nanny share or a live-in nanny cost?
We found no nanny-share rate and no live-in rate in any of the five sources, so we print none. Most nannies in INA's 2022 report live outside their employer's home, so its rates come mostly from live-out nannies. The report does break out two specialist roles: newborn care specialists had a median of $35 an hour (68 answers), and specialty nannies averaged $38.25 (34 answers).
What does a nanny cost on top of the hourly rate?
Pay is one line of the bill. Taxes, overtime and benefits are others, and those rules are not ours to state.
- Taxes. The IRS lists nannies among workers who do household work and says: "You have a household employee if you hired someone to do household work and that worker is your employee." Its Publication 926, Household Employer's Tax Guide sets out which employment taxes apply and when.
- Minimum wage and overtime. The US Department of Labor says: "Persons employed in domestic service in private homes are covered by the FLSA; they must be paid at least the federal minimum wage for all hours worked and overtime pay at time and a half the regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek, unless they are subject to an exemption." That is from Fact Sheet #79B (September 2013), which also explains the exemption for some live-in workers. The Department keeps a separate page of state minimum wage laws.
- Benefits. INA's 2022 report also covers overtime pay, paid time off, year-end bonuses and health insurance. The details are in the report linked in the table.
This page is general information about published pay figures, not tax, legal or financial advice. For the rest of a first-year budget, our first-year baby cost calculator treats childcare as the biggest variable, and our first-year baby clothes cost study prices the wardrobe line by line. Choosing a center instead? See what to send to daycare.
How did we build this table, and what is missing?
We opened each source on October 8, 2026 and copied three things: the figure, its date, and what it measures. Then we checked every figure against the page a second time. Where the math is ours, the column says so.
Two sources we looked for are not in the table: Care.com's Cost of Care report and UrbanSitter's rates page. Neither would open for us that day; Care.com's site answered "Access Denied". We could not read either one, so we print no figure from them and draw no conclusion about their numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a nanny cost per hour
Sittercity's May 2026 provider data puts the US national average at $25.00 an hour. The International Nanny Association's 2022 survey reported a median of $25 and an average of $27.
How much does a full time nanny cost per week
At Sittercity's May 2026 average of $25.00 an hour, a 40-hour week comes to $1,000. That is Babbez arithmetic on Sittercity's figure, and it covers pay only.
How much does a nanny cost per month
Using Sittercity's May 2026 average of $25.00 an hour, $1,000 a week times 52 weeks, divided by 12 months, is $4,333.33 a month. This is Babbez arithmetic and covers pay only.
Why is the government wage for childcare workers lower than nanny rates
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median of $16.82 an hour for all childcare workers in May 2025. Its wage survey covers workers at establishments and does not include household workers, so a nanny paid directly by a family is outside that figure.
Do I have to pay taxes when I hire a nanny
That is a question for the IRS, not for us. IRS Publication 926, the Household Employer's Tax Guide, explains when a nanny is a household employee and which employment taxes apply. This page is not tax advice.
Sources: Sittercity: How Much Should You Pay Your Babysitter or Nanny? (Sittercity provider data, May 2026). International Nanny Association: 2022 INA Salary and Benefits Survey report (March 2023). Indeed: Babysitter/Nanny salary in United States (updated October 4, 2026). Payscale: Nanny Hourly Pay (updated July 4, 2026). US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Childcare Workers (May 2025 wages) and OEWS overview. IRS: Publication 926 (2026). US Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #79B (September 2013) and State Minimum Wage Laws. All retrieved October 8, 2026. More Babbez data: data and studies; how we work: editorial standards. This article is general information, not tax, legal, financial or medical advice; see our content disclaimer and medical disclaimer.