Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on How to Home.
Throughout the pandemic, stressed-out families struggled to find reliable child care as many providers shut down abruptly due to COVID-19 exposures. This forced many parents and caretakers to take unplanned leave, attempt to work and care for children simultaneously, or to leave the workforce altogether.
Recent research from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation estimates that as many as 40% of parents have had job decisions significantly affected by child care issues, while gaps in care result in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost economic productivity in each state each year.
Despite child care workers’ vital role in the economy, compensation in the field lags far behind many other professions. A typical child care worker in the U.S. earned an hourly rate of $13.22 in 2021, which equates to $27,490 annually for full-time workers. In comparison, the median wage for all professions was $22 per hour, or $45,760 annually — approximately 60% higher.
To find which cities suffer the worst lack of child care workers, researchers at HowtoHome.com analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2020) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020).
The following U.S. metropolitan areas have the greatest lack of child care workers.
15. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
- Children per child care worker: 142.1
- Total children (under 14): 325,366
- Total child care workers: 2,290
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $21,250
14. Oklahoma City, OK
- Children per child care worker: 145.8
- Total children (under 14): 287,168
- Total child care workers: 1,970
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $20,890
13. Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Children per child care worker: 147.2
- Total children (under 14): 354,814
- Total child care workers: 2,410
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $22,130
12. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Children per child care worker: 147.4
- Total children (under 14): 517,441
- Total child care workers: 3,510
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $23,210
11. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Children per child care worker: 148.3
- Total children (under 14): 2,380,073
- Total child care workers: 16,050
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $30,560
10. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
- Children per child care worker: 152.9
- Total children (under 14): 1,778,703
- Total child care workers: 11,630
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $25,810
9. New Orleans-Metairie, LA
- Children per child care worker: 158.5
- Total children (under 14): 236,108
- Total child care workers: 1,490
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $19,530
8. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Children per child care worker: 161.0
- Total children (under 14): 438,035
- Total child care workers: 2,720
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $30,120
7. Jacksonville, FL
- Children per child care worker: 161.2
- Total children (under 14): 286,959
- Total child care workers: 1,780
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $23,920
6. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Children per child care worker: 168.1
- Total children (under 14): 462,166
- Total child care workers: 2,750
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $21,190
5. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
- Children per child care worker: 206.2
- Total children (under 14): 430,906
- Total child care workers: 2,090
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $21,700
4. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Children per child care worker: 208.8
- Total children (under 14): 979,105
- Total child care workers: 4,690
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $30,310
3. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- Children per child care worker: 230.8
- Total children (under 14): 364,601
- Total child care workers: 1,580
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $30,780
2. Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
- Children per child care worker: 240.3
- Total children (under 14): 420,605
- Total child care workers: 1,750
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $23,320
1. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Children per child care worker: 265.7
- Total children (under 14): 706,738
- Total child care workers: 2,660
- Median annual wage for child care workers: $35,240
Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2020) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020). To determine the locations with a lack of child care workers, researchers at HowtoHome.com calculated the number of children per child care worker and ranked them from highest to lowest.
