What to pay a babysitter in Portland, ME
Childcare workers in the Portland–South Portland metro area earned a median of $17.60 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than in 85% of the 385 US metro areas BLS reports. It's the highest of Maine's 3 metro areas.
Suggested babysitter rates in Portland
For one child, built on that local median:
| Kids | New or teen | Experienced | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $17.50 | $20.00 | $23.00 |
| 2 kids | $20.00 | $22.50 | $25.50 |
| 3 kids | $22.50 | $25.00 | $28.00 |
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 Portland
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $15.45 |
|---|---|
| Bottom quarter earn less than | $17.33 |
| Median | $17.60 |
| Top quarter earn more than | $18.15 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $22.12 |
| Average | $18.17 |
| Median for a year of full-time work | $36,620 |
| Childcare workers employed | 2,460 |
Childcare jobs are unusually common here: 8.54 in every 1,000 jobs, 2.56 times the national share.
Elsewhere in Maine
- Bangor, ME $16.74 median
- Lewiston, ME $16.62 median
Outside its metro areas, Maine's 2 nonmetropolitan areas pay medians from $17.15 to $17.86. All of Maine →
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.