What to pay a babysitter in Ames, IA
Childcare workers in the Ames metro area earned a median of $13.39 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than in 20% of the 385 US metro areas BLS reports. It's 7th of Iowa's 8 metro areas.
Suggested babysitter rates in Ames
For one child, built on that local median:
| Kids | New or teen | Experienced | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $13.50 | $15.50 | $17.50 |
| 2 kids | $16.00 | $18.00 | $20.00 |
| 3 kids | $18.50 | $20.50 | $22.50 |
Work out a total in the calculator →
How we get the suggested rates
A babysitter does much the same job as a childcare worker, usually alone and often in the evening, so we start from what childcare work pays locally: a new or teen sitter at the local median wage, an experienced sitter 15% above it, and a pro (CPR-certified, years of experience) 30% above it. Each child after the first adds about $2.50 an hour. It's a starting point, not a rule. Late nights, holidays, last-minute bookings, special needs and extra duties like driving or cooking all justify more; our guide to how much to pay a babysitter goes through them.
What childcare work pays in Ames
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $10.92 |
|---|---|
| Bottom quarter earn less than | $12.93 |
| Median | $13.39 |
| Top quarter earn more than | $13.93 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $16.11 |
| Average | $13.88 |
| Median for a year of full-time work | $27,850 |
| Childcare workers employed | 260 |
Childcare jobs are unusually common here: 4.6 in every 1,000 jobs, 1.38 times the national share.
Elsewhere in Iowa
- Davenport, IA $15.53 median
- Dubuque, IA $15.25 median
- Des Moines, IA $14.31 median
- Sioux City, IA $14.10 median
- Iowa City, IA $14.02 median
- Cedar Rapids, IA $13.54 median
- Waterloo, IA $13.26 median
Outside its metro areas, Iowa's 4 nonmetropolitan areas pay medians from $13.08 to $13.37. All of Iowa →
What these figures cover
They come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' wage survey for May 2025, for the occupation it calls Childcare Workers: people paid to look after children at daycares, schools, businesses and in private homes. The survey asks employers, so it counts childcare workers on a payroll, and its technical note says it leaves out the self-employed and household workers. Babysitters paid directly by a family aren't in these numbers. Read them as what childcare work pays where you live, not as a survey of babysitting rates.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 39-9011 Childcare Workers. Suggested rates are Sitterday's rule of thumb, explained above.