Childcare Workers in California

Want to work in California as a Childcare Worker? Read this first!

You’re in luck! Jobs for Childcare Workers in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Childcare Workers in California is growing faster than average.

• Childcare Workers in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

What Major Will Prepare You For a Childcare Worker Career?

• Family, Consumer & Human Sciences
• Human Development & Family Studies
• Child Care Provider/Assistant

How Many Childcare Workers Work in California?

In California, there were 60,460 people working as Childcare Workers in the year 2018.

There were 58,630 Childcare Workers employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 1,830 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 7,890 Childcare Workers working in it, which means California has more Childcare Workers than average.

Job Projections for California

Jobs for Childcare Workers in this state are growing at a rate of 6.8% which is slower than the nationwide estimated projection of 6.9%.

California Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 15,770 annual job openings, and a total of 108,500 jobs for California Childcare Workers in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 189,100 annual jobs and 1,300,900 total jobs in 2026.

What do Childcare Workers Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Childcare Workers ranged from $22,630 to $38,150 with $26,360 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $10.88 to $18.34. The median hourly rate was $12.67.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $12.29 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $0.38.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Childcare Workers

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Childcare Workers.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	22,250	$25,410
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	7,360	$33,470
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	5,960	$25,400
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	5,060	$26,290
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA	4,080	$25,490
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	1,860	$31,190
Fresno, CA	1,390	$24,760
Bakersfield, CA	1,280	$25,180
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	1,230	$29,300
Stockton-Lodi, CA	1,220	$24,690
Visalia-Porterville, CA	1,190	$25,070
Santa Rosa, CA	890	$31,310
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	850	$25,900
Modesto, CA	720	$25,310
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA	610	$26,630
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	490	$25,520
Salinas, CA	460	$31,910
Chico, CA	440	$24,120
Merced, CA	390	$29,710
Yuba City, CA	380	$24,430
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA	370	$24,510
El Centro, CA	310	$24,110
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	310	$24,890
Redding, CA	270	$27,390
Madera, CA	80	$25,730

Top States for Childcare Workers Employment

The table below shows the states where most Childcare Workers work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	60,460	$26,360
New York	47,260	$26,780
Texas	46,890	$20,070
Florida	30,070	$21,870
Pennsylvania	25,370	$21,270
North Carolina	18,830	$21,540
Ohio	18,630	$20,820
New Jersey	18,490	$24,470
Michigan	17,510	$22,150
Illinois	17,440	$22,380
Georgia	14,790	$19,660
Virginia	14,410	$22,210
Massachusetts	13,300	$27,680
Missouri	12,930	$21,550
Minnesota	11,830	$24,150
Kentucky	11,340	$19,840
Arizona	10,450	$23,930
Tennessee	9,660	$19,760
Connecticut	9,490	$25,720
Nebraska	9,090	$22,510

Below are the states where Childcare Workers get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$30,880
Massachusetts	$27,680
Vermont	$27,600
Washington	$27,270
Alaska	$26,930
Colorado	$26,880
New York	$26,780
California	$26,360
Connecticut	$25,720
Rhode Island	$25,280

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By Jsonin under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.