What to pay a babysitter in Indianapolis, IN
Childcare workers in the Indianapolis–Carmel–Greenwood metro area earned a median of $14.73 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than in 50% of the 385 US metro areas BLS reports. It's 3rd of Indiana's 11 metro areas.
Suggested babysitter rates in Indianapolis
For one child, built on that local median:
| Kids | New or teen | Experienced | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $14.50 | $17.00 | $19.00 |
| 2 kids | $17.00 | $19.50 | $21.50 |
| 3 kids | $19.50 | $22.00 | $24.00 |
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 Indianapolis
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $11.70 |
|---|---|
| Bottom quarter earn less than | $14.03 |
| Median | $14.73 |
| Top quarter earn more than | $17.01 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $18.99 |
| Average | $15.42 |
| Median for a year of full-time work | $30,650 |
| Childcare workers employed | 2,760 |
Childcare jobs are less common here than nationally: 2.5 in every 1,000 jobs, 0.75 times the national share.
Elsewhere in Indiana
- Muncie, IN $14.81 median
- Lafayette, IN $14.77 median
- Fort Wayne, IN $14.45 median
- Kokomo, IN $14.39 median
- Evansville, IN $14.36 median
- South Bend, IN $14.35 median
- Elkhart, IN $14.32 median
- Bloomington, IN $14.19 median
- Michigan City, IN $13.93 median
- Terre Haute, IN $13.56 median
Outside its metro areas, Indiana's 3 nonmetropolitan areas pay medians from $13.83 to $14.30. All of Indiana →
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.