What to pay a babysitter in Ocala, FL
Childcare workers in the Ocala metro area earned a median of $16.90 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than in 75% of the 385 US metro areas BLS reports. It's 3rd of Florida's 20 metro areas.
Suggested babysitter rates in Ocala
For one child, built on that local median:
| Kids | New or teen | Experienced | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $17.00 | $19.50 | $22.00 |
| 2 kids | $19.50 | $22.00 | $24.50 |
| 3 kids | $22.00 | $24.50 | $27.00 |
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 Ocala
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $13.66 |
|---|---|
| Bottom quarter earn less than | $15.20 |
| Median | $16.90 |
| Top quarter earn more than | $22.18 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $35.38 |
| Average | $20.68 |
| Median for a year of full-time work | $35,150 |
| Childcare workers employed | 330 |
Pay is unusually spread out: the top tenth earn more than $35.38, over twice the $13.66 that the bottom tenth earn less than.
Elsewhere in Florida
- North Port, FL $22.74 median
- Jacksonville, FL $16.93 median
- Miami, FL $16.71 median
- Punta Gorda, FL $16.70 median
- Naples, FL $16.67 median
- Deltona, FL $16.65 median
- Sebastian, FL $16.49 median
- Port St. Lucie, FL $16.31 median
- Tampa, FL $16.12 median
- Palm Bay, FL $16.09 median
- Crestview, FL $15.66 median
- Cape Coral, FL $15.53 median
- Panama City, FL $15.46 median
- Pensacola, FL $15.41 median
- Sebring, FL $15.21 median
- Orlando, FL $15.00 median
- Gainesville, FL $14.84 median
- Lakeland, FL $14.79 median
- Tallahassee, FL $14.35 median
Outside its metro areas, Florida's 2 nonmetropolitan areas pay medians from $15.62 to $17.27. All of Florida →
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.