Occupation overview

Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare is $59,300, or $28.51 per hour. About 73,660 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $96,810 in New York to $41,780 in Alabama.

Median annual
$59,300
Median hourly
$28.51
Entry level (P10)
$38,580
Top 10% (P90)
$98,240
Employment
73,660
States covered
50

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile
$38,580
$47,040
$59,300
$75,500
$38,580$59,300$98,240
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $59,300.

Salary by state

All 50 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1New York$96,810$46.543,9500.86
2New Jersey$78,770$37.872,9001.43
3District of Columbia$77,850$37.434101.25
4Alaska$75,540$36.32600.39
5Washington$70,470$33.881,5600.93
6Massachusetts$70,320$33.812,2601.31
7California$67,100$32.269,8101.14
8Hawaii$65,080$31.292600.89
9Colorado$64,620$31.071,1500.85
10South Dakota$63,240$30.411500.67
11Vermont$63,220$30.391901.29
12Maryland$62,520$30.061,2700.97
13Minnesota$62,020$29.821,0100.73
14Utah$60,980$29.324000.49
15Georgia$60,300$28.991,5500.67
16Oregon$60,250$28.971,2301.32
17Nevada$60,120$28.91——
18Maine$60,090$28.892400.80
19Wisconsin$59,930$28.811,3200.95
20Connecticut$59,760$28.731,2901.61
21Indiana$58,740$28.247500.50
22Illinois$58,550$28.153,0901.07
23Delaware$58,230$27.994201.84
24North Carolina$57,200$27.502,4101.03
25Kansas$56,970$27.396000.88
26Michigan$56,870$27.341,8900.91
27Florida$56,750$27.285,9801.27
28Pennsylvania$56,380$27.114,1001.43
29Wyoming$56,170$27.011601.19
30Nebraska$56,160$27.005501.13
31Rhode Island$55,290$26.583901.65
32New Hampshire$55,120$26.504101.26
33Virginia$53,320$25.641,5900.82
34North Dakota$51,390$24.712901.41
35South Carolina$51,200$24.617000.64
36Texas$50,840$24.445,4800.82
37Mississippi$49,740$23.915801.06
38Ohio$49,580$23.843,0301.15
39Tennessee$49,200$23.657100.46
40Idaho$48,530$23.332000.50
41Arizona$48,160$23.151,2100.79
42Montana$48,140$23.141800.73
43Missouri$47,940$23.051,0600.77
44Iowa$47,480$22.831,0201.38
45Oklahoma$46,690$22.458301.03
46Louisiana$46,030$22.136900.75
47West Virginia$45,660$21.952900.87
48Arkansas$44,990$21.631,0901.76
49Kentucky$44,530$21.411,0001.06
50Alabama$41,780$20.099400.94

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare make?

The median annual wage for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare in the United States is $59,300, or $28.51 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $38,580, and the top 10% earn $98,240.

How many education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare are employed in the U.S.?

About 73,660 people work as education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare nationwide.

Which state pays education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare the most?

New York pays the most at a median of $96,810, followed by New Jersey ($78,770) and District of Columbia ($77,850).

Which state pays education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare the least?

Alabama has the lowest median at $41,780.

Where are education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Delaware at 1.84×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes