New Jersey · BLS May 2025

Childcare Worker Salary in New Jersey

Also called daycare worker, nanny. SOC 39-9011.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 25,070 childcare workers working in New Jersey. Here is what they are paid, what the median leaves after federal, state and FICA tax, and what that is worth against local prices.

Median pay · New Jersey

$36,390A year, or $17.49 an hour.
Take-home a month$2,572After federal, state and FICA tax at 15.2%
Worth at national prices$33,445Prices here sit at 108.8 against 100
Against the nation4% aboveNational median $34,980
What childcare workers earn in New Jersey, May 2025
PercentileAnnualHourly
10th percentileEntry and lowest-paid$32,220$15.49
25th percentile$34,170$16.43
MedianHalf earn more, half less$36,390$17.49
75th percentile$38,400$18.46
90th percentileMost experienced and senior$44,800$21.54
MeanThe average, pulled up by the top$37,640$18.10
How we got this
  1. Median wage in New JerseyBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of childcare workers earned more than this, half less.$36,390
  2. Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$17.49
  3. Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$2,572 a month at an effective rate of 15.2%.$30,863 a year
  4. Worth at national average pricesPrices in New Jersey sit at 108.8 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$33,445
  5. Against the national medianThe national median is $34,980.4% above
  6. Jobs countedA concentration of 1.75 against the nation's 1.00.25,070
What we assumed
  • Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
  • OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
  • Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
  • Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details

Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1

What lands in the bank

A $36,390 salary in New Jersey, for one single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026.

  • Federal income tax. $2,187 a year.
  • State income tax. $556 a year.
  • Social Security and Medicare. $2,784 a year.
  • Left over. $30,863 a year, $2,572 a month, an effective rate of 15.2%.

Run your own salary and filing status →

What $36,390 is worth in New Jersey

Prices in New Jersey sit at 108.8 against a national average of 100, so $36,390 earned here buys what $33,445 buys at national average prices.

  • Rents. 134.3 against 100, the component that moves most between states.
  • Against local households. The median household in New Jersey takes in $103,556, so this occupation's median is 0.35 times that, on one income.
  • How common the job is here. 75% more concentrated in New Jersey than in the country as a whole.

Compare two places properly →

Common questions

Childcare Worker pay in New Jersey, answered

How much does a childcare worker make in New Jersey?

The median wage for childcare workers in New Jersey is $36,390 a year, or $17.49 an hour.

Half earn more than that and half earn less. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage survey for May 2025.

What is the take-home pay for a childcare worker in New Jersey?

On the median wage of $36,390, one filer taking the standard deduction keeps about $30,863 a year, or roughly $2,572 a month.

That is after federal, state and FICA tax, an effective rate of 15.2%.

New Jersey takes $556 of it in state income tax.

Do childcare workers earn more in New Jersey than in the rest of the country?

Yes. The median in New Jersey is 4% above the national median of $34,980.

Nominal pay is only half the comparison: prices in New Jersey sit at 108.8 against a national 100, so the gap in what the money buys is different from the gap in the salary.

Is $36,390 a good salary in New Jersey?

It is 0.35 times the median household income of $103,556. A household often has more than one earner, so a single salary at this level goes further than the ratio alone suggests.

Prices in New Jersey run at 108.8 against a national average of 100, with rents at 134.3, so $36,390 here buys about what $33,445 buys at national average prices.

What do the highest-paid childcare workers earn in New Jersey?

The top tenth earn $44,800 a year or more, against $32,220 at the bottom tenth.

Experience, specialism, employer and the part of New Jersey someone works in all move a wage inside that range; the survey reports the spread, not the reason for it.

How many childcare workers are there in New Jersey?

The survey counted 25,070 of these jobs in New Jersey for May 2025.

That makes the occupation 75% more concentrated here than in the country as a whole. It counts wage and salary jobs, so the self-employed are outside it.

Sources

Where this data comes from