What's the going rate for babysitters in your neck of the woods?

In My Humble Opinion
1

If you are aware, that is. My wife and I have differing opinions on this, but since she’s the one doing the contracting, I let her set prices.

Our oldest is now 10, and we have a 6 year old. Since the 10 year old was a new born, I’ve seen the hourly rate we pay increase by 80%.

The good side is that we’ve only got a few years before the oldest can watch the younger one.

2

My sister pays hers $10 an hour. This is for three kids 11 and under in age.

3

In both Taiwan and Japan people don’t use babysitters. Most people use grandparents or swap with other parents if absolutely necessary.

4

That’s 6% per year over ten years which is higher than inflation has been, but then in those ten years your sitters have also gone from watching one child to watching two, so I don’t think that’s a jump that’s way out of line.

5

Between $17 and $20 in Manhattan, and out in the boroughs I can get by with $12 - $15. That’s for my single kid, although most of the sitters we’ve used increase their rates for multiple kids.

6

I live in Denver. My son is a precocious 4 hear old. The teenager who babysits him sometimes is happy with $10 an hour (although I tend to round up on the time).

7

Is that per hour, and what services do you get for that money? Feed the child? Bathe the child? Other chores and/or activities?

8

Here’s a list of average rates across the US. Those numbers look right to me for Chicago, about $12-15/hr.

9

Per hour, and the usual sitter things – play with the child, supervise homework, give the kid essential snacks and some sort of simple meal (usually I would order a pizza ahead of time, or maybe at most in terms of cooking would be making sandwiches or a box of mac and cheese). At those rates, certainly not any other chores (I think you have to get into a regular nanny situation, potentially at a higher rate, before you are asking someone do to real meal prep and cooking or laundry). Some of the sitters I use regularly (college-age kids) come with a basic activity to do with the kid, like a simple craft project or game.

10

$20 per hour in southern California