What to pay a babysitter in Paducah, KY
Childcare workers in the Paducah metro area earned a median of $12.89 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than in 15% of the 385 US metro areas BLS reports. It's 5th of Kentucky's 6 metro areas. The metro area also takes in part of Illinois.
Suggested babysitter rates in Paducah
For one child, built on that local median:
| Kids | New or teen | Experienced | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $13.00 | $15.00 | $17.00 |
| 2 kids | $15.50 | $17.50 | $19.50 |
| 3 kids | $18.00 | $20.00 | $22.00 |
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 Paducah
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $11.00 |
|---|---|
| Bottom quarter earn less than | $12.00 |
| Median | $12.89 |
| Top quarter earn more than | $14.30 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $15.00 |
| Average | $13.13 |
| Median for a year of full-time work | $26,800 |
| Childcare workers employed | 90 |
Childcare jobs are less common here than nationally: 1.82 in every 1,000 jobs, 0.54 times the national share. Pay is tightly bunched: nine in ten earn between $11.00 and $15.00.
Elsewhere in Kentucky
- Lexington, KY $16.88 median
- Louisville, KY $14.50 median
- Owensboro, KY $14.02 median
- Elizabethtown, KY $13.91 median
- Bowling Green, KY $12.00 median
Outside its metro areas, Kentucky's 4 nonmetropolitan areas pay medians from $12.35 to $13.40. All of Kentucky →
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.