What to pay a babysitter in Mount Vernon, WA

Childcare workers in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes metro area earned a median of $19.30 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than in 96% of the 385 US metro areas BLS reports. It's 3rd of Washington's 11 metro areas.

Suggested babysitter rates in Mount Vernon

For one child, built on that local median:

New or teen sitter$19.50/hrthe local median wage
Experienced sitter$22.00/hr15% above the median
Pro sitter$25.00/hr30% above; CPR, years of experience
KidsNew or teenExperiencedPro
1 child$19.50$22.00$25.00
2 kids$22.00$24.50$27.50
3 kids$24.50$27.00$30.00

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 Mount Vernon

Bottom 10% earn less than$17.00
Bottom quarter earn less than$18.48
Median$19.30
Top quarter earn more than$21.44
Top 10% earn more than$21.93
Average$20.08
Median for a year of full-time work$40,150
Childcare workers employed60

Childcare jobs are less common here than nationally: 1.05 in every 1,000 jobs, 0.31 times the national share. Pay is tightly bunched: nine in ten earn between $17.00 and $21.93.

Elsewhere in Washington

Outside its metro areas, Washington's 2 nonmetropolitan areas pay medians from $18.24 to $18.37. All of Washington →

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.