What to pay a babysitter in Salt Lake City, UT
Childcare workers in the Salt Lake City–Murray metro area earned a median of $16.25 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than in 68% of the 385 US metro areas BLS reports. It's the highest of Utah's 5 metro areas.
Suggested babysitter rates in Salt Lake City
For one child, built on that local median:
| Kids | New or teen | Experienced | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $16.50 | $18.50 | $21.00 |
| 2 kids | $19.00 | $21.00 | $23.50 |
| 3 kids | $21.50 | $23.50 | $26.00 |
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 Salt Lake City
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $11.30 |
|---|---|
| Bottom quarter earn less than | $14.26 |
| Median | $16.25 |
| Top quarter earn more than | $17.44 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $22.26 |
| Average | $16.11 |
| Median for a year of full-time work | $33,790 |
| Childcare workers employed | 2,010 |
Childcare jobs are less common here than nationally: 2.44 in every 1,000 jobs, 0.73 times the national share.
Elsewhere in Utah
- Provo, UT $15.20 median
- Ogden, UT $15.05 median
- St. George, UT $14.83 median
- Logan, UT $14.56 median
Outside its metro areas, Utah's 2 nonmetropolitan areas pay medians from $14.81 to $16.02. All of Utah →
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.