What to pay a babysitter in Dallas, TX
Childcare workers in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metro area earned a median of $14.96 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than in 55% of the 385 US metro areas BLS reports. It's the highest of Texas's 26 metro areas.
Suggested babysitter rates in Dallas
For one child, built on that local median:
| Kids | New or teen | Experienced | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $15.00 | $17.00 | $19.50 |
| 2 kids | $17.50 | $19.50 | $22.00 |
| 3 kids | $20.00 | $22.00 | $24.50 |
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 Dallas
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $11.53 |
|---|---|
| Bottom quarter earn less than | $13.05 |
| Median | $14.96 |
| Top quarter earn more than | $16.65 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $18.06 |
| Average | $14.91 |
| Median for a year of full-time work | $31,110 |
| Childcare workers employed | 8,660 |
Childcare jobs are less common here than nationally: 2.14 in every 1,000 jobs, 0.64 times the national share.
Elsewhere in Texas
- Midland, TX $14.43 median
- Houston, TX $14.20 median
- San Antonio, TX $14.15 median
- Austin, TX $13.69 median
- College Station, TX $13.10 median
- Amarillo, TX $13.09 median
- Corpus Christi, TX $13.08 median
- Odessa, TX $13.08 median
- Abilene, TX $12.89 median
- San Angelo, TX $12.87 median
- Waco, TX $12.87 median
- Lubbock, TX $12.81 median
- Sherman, TX $12.69 median
- Tyler, TX $12.52 median
- Killeen, TX $12.48 median
- Texarkana, TX $11.87 median
- Wichita Falls, TX $11.59 median
- El Paso, TX $11.26 median
- Longview, TX $11.25 median
- Victoria, TX $11.19 median
- Beaumont, TX $11.03 median
- Eagle Pass, TX $10.81 median
- Laredo, TX $10.74 median
- McAllen, TX $10.73 median
- Brownsville, TX $10.72 median
Outside its metro areas, Texas's 6 nonmetropolitan areas pay medians from $10.79 to $13.35. All of Texas →
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.