Nannies are often highly educated, well-trained and work a hectic schedule that can require them to be on the clock during odd hours, living in someone else’s home, or even traveling around the world with the kids in their care. Yet, despite all of this, nannying isn’t what comes to mind when most people think of high paying careers — or, at least it wasn’t. But now, more nannies than ever are working six-figure jobs, and they’re changing the way people think about the value of child care.
Key takeaways
- In places like New York City, San Francisco and even Palm Beach, Florida, more nannies are making six figures.
- Nannies can earn higher pay by furthering their education, bringing more skills and experience to the table and getting additional training and certifications.
- While pay is partly dependent on where you live, the trend of higher paid nannies is far-reaching and important in showing the value of skilled child care to all.
What does it take to be a 6-figure nanny?
Nanny rates have risen post-COVID, jumping 11% from 2021 to 2022, according to one survey. The New Yorker recently published a feature on the “six figure nannies of Palm Beach.” And in places like New York City, San Francisco and other major metropolitan areas, some nannies are able to command anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000 per year.
In order to command a great salary, though, nannies have to be at the top of their games. Many of the nannies featured in The New Yorker work as newborn care specialists, hold degrees in early childhood education or bring with them a wealth of valuable knowledge and experience. Increasingly, they say, families want nannies who can develop preschool curriculums, keep kids screen-free and do it all while incorporating languages like French, Mandarin and Spanish.
In many cases, six-figure nannies also live with the families they work for, or they are required to travel with the family full time. Some families also want nannies who can act as “family assistants,” taking care of errands, like meal planning and grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, handling vet visits and pediatrician appointments and helping to manage other household workers.
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Is the average nanny making six figures?
Obviously, the families who can afford to pay the nanny a six-figure salary are wealthy themselves. That’s not the reality for most families in the US. In fact, the Care.com 2025 Cost of Care Report shows that, for infant care, the average American family spends about $343 per week for a daycare center, $344 per week for a family care center and $827 per week for a nanny — nowhere near six-figures. And, for the majority of families, child care costs eat up 22% of their household income.
Still, depending on where you live and what skills you bring to the table, it is possible to make a competitive salary as a nanny. According to recent Care.com data, the average posted rate for a nanny nationwide is between $20-$27 per hour. But, in a city like San Francisco, some posted nanny rates are as high as $34.92 per hour, while posted rates for Seattle nannies are between $26-$32 per hour and posted rates for a nanny in Austin span $22-$29 per hour. There are nationwide opportunities to earn more for this work.
Why 6-figure nannies are a good thing
While there is a certainly a need for more affordable child care options, the trend of six-figure nannies is an important one because it legitimizes child care work in a new way — and that helps legitimize the work at every level.
The fact of the matter is that child care is undervalued in the U.S., even despite the fact that locking in child care is a major burden for a lot of families, either due to cost or the lack of availability of quality providers. Six-figure nannies prove to existing caregivers and potential new ones that there is value in the work they do and in continuing to grow their professional skills. They also help demonstrate the very real need for amazing child care workers who are well-trained and well-compensated.
While hiring a six-figure nanny is never going to be feasible for most parents, caregiving is a role that can (and should!) command more — more respect, more pay and more opportunities for the people who work in this field. Hopefully the trend of higher paid nannies and caregivers can help create a shift in the industry that earns these workers more respect and helps more lawmakers see the value of exceptional care for every child and the need to work toward giving more families access to it.
