Childcare Workers Salary — Lakeland, Florida

The average Childcare Workers in Lakeland, Florida earns $32,180 a year.

$32,180 / year, mean
↓ 9.4% below national average 15th percentile in Florida

Lakeland pays below most of Florida for this role, though still within a normal range for the state. That's noticeably below the national average for childcare workers, worth factoring into any relocation math. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within Florida

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
360
Estimate confidence
RSE 1.3%
Cost of living 97 #82 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 1340 #8 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $298,816 #103 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $63,644 #146 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Lakeland ranks #82 for cost of living and #103 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

Sarasota $52,680 San Jose $48,450 San Francisco $46,100 Seattle $44,390 Santa Rosa $43,840 El Centro $43,020 Ocala $43,010 Napa $42,870 Riverside $42,870 Modesto $42,600 Salinas $42,380 San Diego $42,370 Los Angeles $41,930 Vallejo $41,810 Mount Vernon $41,760 Longview $41,730 Stockton $41,640 Santa Maria $41,620 San Luis Obispo $41,570 Sacramento $41,370 Santa Cruz $41,210 Portland $40,780 Oxnard $40,680 Spokane $40,230 Bremerton $40,220 Yuba City $40,100 Visalia $40,070 New York $40,010 Wenatchee $39,910 Hanford $39,840 Redding $39,640 Olympia $39,630 Chico $39,400 Bellingham $39,020 Merced $38,980 Yakima $38,830 Fresno $38,790 Kennewick $38,770 Bakersfield $38,400 Salem $38,250 Albany $38,220 Ithaca $38,090 Kiryas Joel $38,070 Bend $38,040 Grants Pass $37,940 Kingston $37,480 Eugene $37,350 Chicago $37,220 Trenton $37,220 Jacksonville $37,080 Walla Walla $37,030 Lexington Park $36,770 Baltimore $36,700 Buffalo $36,570 Medford $36,520 Binghamton $36,510 Corvallis $36,450 Glens Falls $36,340 Naples $36,130 Punta Gorda $36,110 Utica $36,020 Elmira $35,820 Rochester $35,680 Syracuse $35,610 Miami $35,420 Decatur $35,350 Albany $35,170 Atlantic City $35,160 Springfield $35,130 Champaign $35,060 Watertown $35,010 Vineland $34,990 Palm Bay $34,910 Flint $34,840 Philadelphia $34,820 Salisbury $34,560 Bloomington $34,430 Rockford $34,280 Traverse City $34,270 Port St. Lucie $34,230 Dover $34,220 Crestview $34,160 Deltona $34,090 Tampa $34,070 Peoria $34,030 Hagerstown $33,940 Kankakee $33,920 Lexington $33,910 Detroit $33,840 Sebastian $33,500 Charlottesville $33,470 Fort Myers $33,450 Ann Arbor $33,380 Louisville $33,280 Grand Rapids $33,250 Richmond $33,240 Orlando $32,880 Jackson $32,790 Panama City $32,720 Lansing $32,660 Staunton $32,620 Muncie $32,590 Kalamazoo $32,550 Harrisonburg $32,510 Pensacola $32,440 Allentown $32,310 Gainesville $32,310 York $32,280 Evansville $32,240 Lakeland $32,180 Gettysburg $32,110 Indianapolis $32,070 Saginaw $32,040 Scranton $31,960 Winchester $31,870 Virginia Beach $31,720 Midland $31,660 Sebring $31,620 Tallahassee $31,580 Lancaster $31,440 Lafayette $31,330 Reading $31,250 Lynchburg $31,140 Muskegon $31,140 Battle Creek $31,120 Harrisburg $31,030 Dallas $31,010 Fort Wayne $30,900 Blacksburg $30,880 Elkhart $30,800 Niles $30,590 Bay City $30,510 Monroe $30,480 Midland $30,470 Roanoke $30,460 Austin $30,340 South Bend $30,300 Houston $30,110 Pittsburgh $30,020 Kokomo $29,970 Michigan City $29,650 Lebanon $29,640 Bloomington $29,630 Owensboro $29,430 Morgantown $29,290 Erie $29,190 San Antonio $29,110 Williamsport $28,950 College Station $28,910 Wheeling $28,770 Elizabethtown $28,360 Chambersburg $28,180 Corpus Christi $28,140 Weirton $27,980 Odessa $27,850 Terre Haute $27,800 Charleston $27,540 Bowling Green $27,330 Paducah $27,300 Altoona $27,180 Parkersburg $27,090 Waco $27,080 Abilene $26,920 Johnstown $26,920 San Angelo $26,710 Amarillo $26,690 Tyler $26,660 Lubbock $26,560 Killeen $26,390 Huntington $25,790 Beaumont $25,660 Victoria $25,650 Longview $25,640 Wichita Falls $25,450 Sherman $25,390 Texarkana $25,380 Eagle Pass $24,720 El Paso $24,360 Brownsville $24,200 Laredo $24,060 McAllen $23,690
CityMean salaryvs. Lakeland
Abilene, Texas$26,920-16.3%
Albany, Oregon$35,170+9.3%
Albany, New York$38,220+18.8%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$32,310+0.4%
Altoona, Pennsylvania$27,180-15.5%
Amarillo, Texas$26,690-17.1%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$33,380+3.7%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$35,160+9.3%
Austin, Texas$30,340-5.7%
Bakersfield, California$38,400+19.3%
Baltimore, Maryland$36,700+14.0%
Battle Creek, Michigan$31,120-3.3%
Bay City, Michigan$30,510-5.2%
Beaumont, Texas$25,660-20.3%
Bellingham, Washington$39,020+21.3%
Bend, Oregon$38,040+18.2%
Binghamton, New York$36,510+13.5%
Blacksburg, Virginia$30,880-4.0%
Bloomington, Illinois$34,430+7.0%
Bloomington, Indiana$29,630-7.9%
Bowling Green, Kentucky$27,330-15.1%
Bremerton, Washington$40,220+25.0%
Brownsville, Texas$24,200-24.8%
Buffalo, New York$36,570+13.6%
Fort Myers, Florida$33,450+3.9%
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania$28,180-12.4%
Champaign, Illinois$35,060+8.9%
Charleston, West Virginia$27,540-14.4%
Charlottesville, Virginia$33,470+4.0%
Chicago, Illinois$37,220+15.7%
Chico, California$39,400+22.4%
College Station, Texas$28,910-10.2%
Corpus Christi, Texas$28,140-12.6%
Corvallis, Oregon$36,450+13.3%
Crestview, Florida$34,160+6.2%
Dallas, Texas$31,010-3.6%
Decatur, Illinois$35,350+9.9%
Deltona, Florida$34,090+5.9%
Detroit, Michigan$33,840+5.2%
Dover, Delaware$34,220+6.3%
Eagle Pass, Texas$24,720-23.2%
El Centro, California$43,020+33.7%
Elizabethtown, Kentucky$28,360-11.9%
Elkhart, Indiana$30,800-4.3%
Elmira, New York$35,820+11.3%
El Paso, Texas$24,360-24.3%
Erie, Pennsylvania$29,190-9.3%
Eugene, Oregon$37,350+16.1%
Evansville, Indiana$32,240+0.2%
Flint, Michigan$34,840+8.3%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$30,900-4.0%
Fresno, California$38,790+20.5%
Gainesville, Florida$32,310+0.4%
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania$32,110-0.2%
Glens Falls, New York$36,340+12.9%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$33,250+3.3%
Grants Pass, Oregon$37,940+17.9%
Hagerstown, Maryland$33,940+5.5%
Hanford, California$39,840+23.8%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$31,030-3.6%
Harrisonburg, Virginia$32,510+1.0%
Houston, Texas$30,110-6.4%
Huntington, West Virginia$25,790-19.9%
Indianapolis, Indiana$32,070-0.3%
Ithaca, New York$38,090+18.4%
Jackson, Michigan$32,790+1.9%
Jacksonville, Florida$37,080+15.2%
Johnstown, Pennsylvania$26,920-16.3%
Kalamazoo, Michigan$32,550+1.1%
Kankakee, Illinois$33,920+5.4%
Kennewick, Washington$38,770+20.5%
Killeen, Texas$26,390-18.0%
Kingston, New York$37,480+16.5%
Kiryas Joel, New York$38,070+18.3%
Kokomo, Indiana$29,970-6.9%
Lafayette, Indiana$31,330-2.6%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$31,440-2.3%
Lansing, Michigan$32,660+1.5%
Laredo, Texas$24,060-25.2%
Lebanon, Pennsylvania$29,640-7.9%
Lexington, Kentucky$33,910+5.4%
Lexington Park, Maryland$36,770+14.3%
Longview, Texas$25,640-20.3%
Longview, Washington$41,730+29.7%
Los Angeles, California$41,930+30.3%
Louisville, Kentucky$33,280+3.4%
Lubbock, Texas$26,560-17.5%
Lynchburg, Virginia$31,140-3.2%
McAllen, Texas$23,690-26.4%
Medford, Oregon$36,520+13.5%
Merced, California$38,980+21.1%
Miami, Florida$35,420+10.1%
Michigan City, Indiana$29,650-7.9%
Midland, Michigan$31,660-1.6%
Midland, Texas$30,470-5.3%
Modesto, California$42,600+32.4%
Monroe, Michigan$30,480-5.3%
Morgantown, West Virginia$29,290-9.0%
Mount Vernon, Washington$41,760+29.8%
Muncie, Indiana$32,590+1.3%
Muskegon, Michigan$31,140-3.2%
Napa, California$42,870+33.2%
Naples, Florida$36,130+12.3%
New York, New York$40,010+24.3%
Niles, Michigan$30,590-4.9%
Sarasota, Florida$52,680+63.7%
Ocala, Florida$43,010+33.7%
Odessa, Texas$27,850-13.5%
Olympia, Washington$39,630+23.2%
Orlando, Florida$32,880+2.2%
Owensboro, Kentucky$29,430-8.5%
Oxnard, California$40,680+26.4%
Paducah, Kentucky$27,300-15.2%
Palm Bay, Florida$34,910+8.5%
Panama City, Florida$32,720+1.7%
Parkersburg, West Virginia$27,090-15.8%
Pensacola, Florida$32,440+0.8%
Peoria, Illinois$34,030+5.7%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$34,820+8.2%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$30,020-6.7%
Portland, Oregon$40,780+26.7%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$34,230+6.4%
Punta Gorda, Florida$36,110+12.2%
Reading, Pennsylvania$31,250-2.9%
Redding, California$39,640+23.2%
Richmond, Virginia$33,240+3.3%
Riverside, California$42,870+33.2%
Roanoke, Virginia$30,460-5.3%
Rochester, New York$35,680+10.9%
Rockford, Illinois$34,280+6.5%
Sacramento, California$41,370+28.6%
Saginaw, Michigan$32,040-0.4%
Salem, Oregon$38,250+18.9%
Salinas, California$42,380+31.7%
Salisbury, Maryland$34,560+7.4%
San Angelo, Texas$26,710-17.0%
San Antonio, Texas$29,110-9.5%
San Diego, California$42,370+31.7%
San Francisco, California$46,100+43.3%
San Jose, California$48,450+50.6%
San Luis Obispo, California$41,570+29.2%
Santa Cruz, California$41,210+28.1%
Santa Maria, California$41,620+29.3%
Santa Rosa, California$43,840+36.2%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$31,960-0.7%
Seattle, Washington$44,390+37.9%
Sebastian, Florida$33,500+4.1%
Sebring, Florida$31,620-1.7%
Sherman, Texas$25,390-21.1%
South Bend, Indiana$30,300-5.8%
Spokane, Washington$40,230+25.0%
Springfield, Illinois$35,130+9.2%
Staunton, Virginia$32,620+1.4%
Stockton, California$41,640+29.4%
Syracuse, New York$35,610+10.7%
Tallahassee, Florida$31,580-1.9%
Tampa, Florida$34,070+5.9%
Terre Haute, Indiana$27,800-13.6%
Texarkana, Texas$25,380-21.1%
Traverse City, Michigan$34,270+6.5%
Trenton, New Jersey$37,220+15.7%
Tyler, Texas$26,660-17.2%
Utica, New York$36,020+11.9%
Vallejo, California$41,810+29.9%
Victoria, Texas$25,650-20.3%
Vineland, New Jersey$34,990+8.7%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$31,720-1.4%
Visalia, California$40,070+24.5%
Waco, Texas$27,080-15.8%
Walla Walla, Washington$37,030+15.1%
Watertown, New York$35,010+8.8%
Weirton, West Virginia$27,980-13.1%
Wenatchee, Washington$39,910+24.0%
Wheeling, West Virginia$28,770-10.6%
Wichita Falls, Texas$25,450-20.9%
Williamsport, Pennsylvania$28,950-10.0%
Winchester, Virginia$31,870-1.0%
Yakima, Washington$38,830+20.7%
York, Pennsylvania$32,280+0.3%
Yuba City, California$40,100+24.6%
Gross salary
32,180/yr
Estimated take-home
28,037/yr
Est. total withheld
12.9%

Single filer, federal income tax + FICA only, 2025 rates — Florida has no state income tax on wages. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Childcare Workers salaries in Florida → All Childcare Workers salaries →
Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 39-9011 SOC code
Official area Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 29460 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: fl_constitucion_verificado 2025
Metro also includes
Winter Haven
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: Florida

Population (metro area)
760,961