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Data: UrbanSitter; Chart: Alice Feng/Axios

Seattle remains one of the most expensive places in the country to hire a babysitter.  

Driving the news: Babysitting rates rose about 16% in Seattle in 2022, according to survey results from caregiver-finding platform UrbanSitter provided to Axios. 

That put Seattle's average hourly babysitting rate for one child at $24.60, up from $21.23 the previous year.  

State of play: Of more than three dozen cities or metro areas surveyed by UrbanSitter, Seattle's rate was the second highest.

Only San Francisco had a higher average babysitting rate in 2022, at $25.24 per hour for one child. 

Springfield, Missouri, was home to the lowest rate, at $11.35. 

The big picture: Nationally, babysitting rates rose 9.7% — a bit less than the 11% hike seen in 2021, but still outpacing inflation for the second year in a row.

That's a staggering 21% increase in just two years, according to UrbanSitter, which looked at booking data from 15,000 U.S. families.

Yes, but: UrbanSitter's pay rates are on the high side compared with those suggested by Care.com and Sittercity. 

Why it matters: A shortage of babysitters and other child care workers — and higher pay those remaining are able to command — is creating seismic ripples in the labor market, keeping some parents at home or in precarious care arrangements.

It's also attracting teachers, nurses and other trained professionals into the career — which in turn drives up rates, because of their experience.

In the other direction, day care workers are quitting for higher pay elsewhere — including at custodial jobs.

The bottom line: Per a 2022 Care.com survey, 51% of U.S. parents were spending over 20% of their income on child care — far more than the 7% that the federal government deems "affordable."  

Seattle's among the priciest places to hire a babysitter

51% of U.S. parents spend over 20% of their income on child care.

Seattle is one the most expensive in U.S. to hire a babysitter

Seattle remains one of the most expensive places in the country to hire a babysitter. Driving the news: Babysitting rates rose about 16% in Seattle in 2022, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="survey results" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/10/labor-shortage-childcare-workers-cost-babysitter-nanny" data-vars-content-id="57125720-a07e-4be4-9bb9-1f575804af82" data-vars-headline="Seattle&#x27;s among the priciest places to hire a babysitter" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/10/labor-shortage-childcare-workers-cost-babysitter-nanny" target="_self">survey results</a> from caregiver-finding platform<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" UrbanSitter" data-vars-click-url="https://www.urbansitter.com/" data-vars-content-id="57125720-a07e-4be4-9bb9-1f575804af82" data-vars-headline="Seattle&#x27;s among the priciest places to hire a babysitter" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.urbansitter.com/" target="_blank"> UrbanSitter</a> provided to Axios. <ul><li>That put Seattle&#x27;s average hourly babysitting rate for one child at $24.60, up from $21.23 the previous year. </li></ul>

Jennifer A. Kingson

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Seattle's among the priciest places to hire a babysitter