What to pay a babysitter in Tampa, FL
Childcare workers in the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater metro area earned a median of $16.12 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than in 66% of the 385 US metro areas BLS reports. It's 10th of Florida's 20 metro areas.
Suggested babysitter rates in Tampa
For one child, built on that local median:
| Kids | New or teen | Experienced | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $16.00 | $18.50 | $21.00 |
| 2 kids | $18.50 | $21.00 | $23.50 |
| 3 kids | $21.00 | $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 Tampa
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $14.15 |
|---|---|
| Bottom quarter earn less than | $14.43 |
| Median | $16.12 |
| Top quarter earn more than | $17.52 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $19.06 |
| Average | $16.38 |
| Median for a year of full-time work | $33,530 |
| Childcare workers employed | 3,420 |
Childcare jobs are less common here than nationally: 2.37 in every 1,000 jobs, 0.71 times the national share. Pay is tightly bunched: nine in ten earn between $14.15 and $19.06.
Elsewhere in Florida
- North Port, FL $22.74 median
- Jacksonville, FL $16.93 median
- Ocala, FL $16.90 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
- 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.