What to pay a babysitter in Omaha, NE

Childcare workers in the Omaha metro area earned a median of $15.06 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than in 57% of the 385 US metro areas BLS reports. It's the highest of Nebraska's 3 metro areas. The metro area also takes in part of Iowa.

Suggested babysitter rates in Omaha

For one child, built on that local median:

New or teen sitter$15.00/hrthe local median wage
Experienced sitter$17.50/hr15% above the median
Pro sitter$19.50/hr30% above; CPR, years of experience
KidsNew or teenExperiencedPro
1 child$15.00$17.50$19.50
2 kids$17.50$20.00$22.00
3 kids$20.00$22.50$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 Omaha

Bottom 10% earn less than$13.80
Bottom quarter earn less than$14.31
Median$15.06
Top quarter earn more than$17.09
Top 10% earn more than$17.60
Average$15.93
Median for a year of full-time work$31,330
Childcare workers employed4,940

Childcare jobs are unusually common here: 9.93 in every 1,000 jobs, 2.97 times the national share. Pay is tightly bunched: nine in ten earn between $13.80 and $17.60.

Elsewhere in Nebraska

Outside its metro areas, Nebraska's 3 nonmetropolitan areas pay medians from $14.02 to $14.22. All of Nebraska →

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.