Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 11-9031 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$59,301
$28.51/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Education and Childcare Administrators salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$39K
P25$47K
P50$59K
P75$76K
P90$98K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- the broader market openings are at 4.4% (JOLTS, June 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
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Merit budget: Wages in private industry are rising about 3.1% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.7-3.2% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $59,301 to $75,504 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Education and Childcare Administrators pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 5.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 3.1% wage growth of the broader market (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · MODERATE
the broader market is running a 4.4% job-openings rate with quits at 2.0% (BLS JOLTS).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.5 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: national job openings little changed at 7.4M (4.4% rate), hires flat at 5.3M, quits steady at 2.0%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: national wages rose 3.2% over the year while CPI reached 3.5%, the first negative real-wage reading since 2022. Benefit costs accelerated to 3.8%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare is $59,301 per year ($28.51/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $47,050 and $75,504 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $98,238 per year. There are approximately 73,660 education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Plan, direct, or coordinate academic or nonacademic activities of preschools or childcare centers and programs, including before- and after-school care.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-2.5%
Slower than average
Annual openings
6K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
90K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Child Care Services
NAICS 624400
61K
$58,090
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
5K
$76,220
Individual and Family Services
NAICS 624100
2K
$70,380
Religious Organizations
NAICS 813100
980
$63,590
Civic and Social Organizations
NAICS 813400
920
$59,860
Wage range across top 5 industries: $58,090 to $76,220 (31% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.55
$38,584
P25
$22.62
$47,050
P50MEDIAN
$28.51
$59,301
P75
$36.30
$75,504
P90
$47.23
$98,238
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market stayed steady in June: job openings were little changed at 7.4M (rate 4.4%), hires held at 5.3M, and total separations changed little at 5.4M. Quits were 3.2M (rate 2.0%). Openings rose in transportation, warehousing & utilities (+97K) and fell in wholesale trade (-74K).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare salary?
The national median salary for Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare is $59,301 per year ($28.51/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $47,050 and $75,504 annually.
How much do top-earning education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare make?
The 90th percentile salary for Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare is $98,238 per year ($47.23/hr). The 75th percentile is $75,504 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare?
Entry-level Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare (10th percentile) earn approximately $38,584 per year ($18.55/hr). The 25th percentile is $47,050 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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