Finding a babysitter and keeping them can be difficult, as recent statistics show. An article in the Parents’ Section of the March 6, 2013, Huffington Post reports on UrbanSitter’s Second Annual National Childcare Rate Survey, revealing that babysitters and nannies are a transient lot. One or two years employment at one household is the average with only ten or eleven percent staying longer than five years. On average, parents report that they hire 2.6 different babysitters yearly.
At the same time, the demand keeps rising. When asked what they most wanted for Mother’s Day this year, a majority of moms listed “Childcare for some me time” in the top five. About a third of the parents surveyed said they have to find a babysitter online once or twice a month, and another third estimated they did so four to six times annually.
Given the demand and high turnover, some parents might wonder if they are offering the right amount. If they finally find a babysitter, and they suddenly quit, was it because somebody else paid more?
How do you know what’s average for a babysitter in any given area? You want to be fair and competitive, but you don’t want to be more generous than you should be. The same article reports that over a third of parents said they pay at least $1,000 yearly for a babysitter, and every parent wants to keep that figure down to a reasonable minimum.
The Urban Sitter survey showed considerable variation in babysitting pay for different parts of the U.S. Not surprisingly, San Francisco topped the list with an average wage of slightly over $14 an hour for one child, and New York came in second at about $13.50. Parents trying to find a babysitter should check the map in Huffington Post or UrbanSitter to get a rough idea of where their region falls in the pay scale.
Average pay for nannies showed more consistency over the nation, with hourly rates of $13.50, $15.50 and $17.25 for one, two or three children respectively proving to be the norm.
Using realistic figures like these, parents can find a babysitter online and know they are paying enough but not too much. One of the recurring questions of early parenthood finally has a benchmark.