Care.com Releases Statistics from First Annual Babysitter Survey

- Care.com 2015 Babysitter Survey Reveals National Average Babysitter Rate is $13.44, An Increase of 28% Since 2009 -

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Care.com 2015 Babysitter Survey Video. www.care.com/babysittercost

WALTHAM, Mass.--()--Care.com (NYSE: CRCM, www.care.com), the world’s largest online destination for finding and managing family care, today announced the results from its first annual Babysitter Survey. Approximately one thousand parents were surveyed to uncover who the ideal babysitter is, what expectations are, and just how much families are willing to pay.

“Over the past few years, the average babysitter rate has steadily increased and in 2014, the national average was $13.44 per hour,” said Katie Bugbee, senior managing editor and global parenting expert at Care.com. “Our Care.com 2015 Babysitter Survey found that more so than ever before, it’s a babysitter’s market where sitters can not only determine their hourly rate, but they can also expect an annual raise and even a tip. Families may find the extra cost worth it as the number one thing they look for in a sitter is that their kids love them.”

CARE.COM 2015 BABYSITTER SURVEY SPENDING RESULTS

  • National Average Rate for Babysitters: $13.44 per hour (up 28% from 2009, which was $10.50).
  • Tipping: 1 in 4 (26%) tip on top of the hourly rate.
  • Annual Raises: 87% would give their sitter a raise.
  • How Families Decide What to Pay: The majority of parents (68%) rely on sitters to set the rate and pay what they charge; 40% ask their friends; and 20% use a pay rate calculator.
  • What Families Think About How Much They Pay: 25% say they pay too much.
  • Who Families Are Willing to Pay More: Half (51%) would pay older sitters more because of their experience; 38% would be willing to pay older sitters $5 more per hour. Plus, 1 in 10 would pay an extra $5 per hour for last-minute sitters.
  • Five Most Expensive Cities to Hire a Babysitter (per hour):

1. San Francisco, CA: $16.65
2. San Jose, CA: $15.63
3. Boston, MA: $15.37
4. New York, NY: $15.09
5. Washington, DC: $14.99

  • Five Least Expensive Cities to Hire a Babysitter (per hour):

1. Grand Rapids, MI: $11.31
2. Columbia, SC: $11.72
3. Rochester, NY: $11.79
4. Salt Lake City, UT: $11.82
5. Akron, OH: $11.84

  • Top Two Reasons Families Don’t Hire a Babysitter: It costs too much (57%) and it’s too stressful to find someone they like (51%).
  • How Families Save on Babysitters: A majority (61%) would share a sitter with a friend and 18% would hire a sitter with less experience. In addition, nearly half (46%) have cut a date short to avoid paying an extra hour, and 1 in 5 (20%) pay a lower rate when their kids are sleeping.

CARE.COM 2015 BABYSITTER SURVEY INSIGHTS

Who’s Hiring the Babysitter? Half of moms (48%) handle hiring a babysitter completely, while less than 1% of fathers completely take on this responsibility. In fact, only 13% of parents are equally involved in hiring the babysitter. With 21% of families having worked with four or more sitters in a year, that’s a lot of hiring responsibility for moms!

Who Are Families Hiring? If you’re between the ages of 20 to 25, certified in CPR, First Aid or safety training, and a non-smoker, then you are the preferred sitter for many families. According to Care.com, Jessica, Ashley, and Amanda are the most popular names of sitters too. And here’s to debunking an old wives’ tale! 92% of moms have no problem hiring a babysitter who’s prettier than them.

How Well Do Parents Know Their Sitter? Wouldn’t you think that checking references and conducting a background check on someone who’s taking care of a loved one is a no-brainer? Surprisingly, a whopping 62% of parents have hired a babysitter without checking references and 64% have done so without running a background check. Yet, 41% completely trust their sitter.

What are the Big Babysitter No-Nos? 1 in 10 (11%) parents have caught their sitter having a friend over or looking through their drawers or closets. Families have also caught their sitter texting (26%), playing on social media (22%), watching TV (16%) or eating their food (9%) without their permission.

Celebrity Sitter Showdown: Emma Stone or Kim Kardashian? Kim Kardashian may be a new mom, but parents say the celebrity they’d most want as a sitter is Emma Stone, followed by Jennifer Lawrence and President Obama. In fact, reality star Kim Kardashian is the celebrity families would least want as a babysitter.

What Are Families Willing to Do for a Good Sitter? Once you’ve found a good sitter, hold on tight, because 1 in 5 parents (20%) say they’re willing to steal a sitter! In fact, 16% hoard their sitter’s contact information and won’t even share it with a friend.

It All Come Down to Love. At the end of the day, 1 in 3 parents (31%) say they consider their sitter a member of their family and half (49%) say what’s most important when hiring a sitter is that their kids love them.

For more information on the Care.com 2015 Babysitter Survey, hiring guides, background checks, or to find out how much a babysitter costs in your neighborhood, visit Care.com/babysittercost.

About the Care.com 2015 Babysitter Survey

The Care.com 2015 Babysitter Survey captured responses from approximately one thousand parents in the United States during the month of January 2015. Respondents were recruited from Care.com membership.

About Care.com

Since launching in 2007, Care.com (NYSE: CRCM) has been committed to solving the complex care challenges that impact families, caregivers, employers, and care service companies. Today, Care.com is the world’s largest online destination for finding and managing family care, with 14.1 million member consumers* across 16 countries, including the US, UK, Canada and parts of Western Europe, and approximately half a million employees of corporate clients having access to our services. Spanning child care to senior care, pet care, housekeeping and more, Care.com provides a sweeping array of services for families and caregivers to find, manage and pay for care or find employment. These include: a comprehensive suite of safety tools and resources members may use to help make more informed hiring decisions – such as third-party background check services, monitored messaging, and tips on hiring best practices; easy ways for caregivers to be paid online or via mobile app; and household payroll and tax services provided by Care.com HomePay. Care.com builds employers customized benefits packages covering child care, back up care and senior care consulting services through its Global Workplace Solutions, and serves care businesses with marketing and recruiting support. To further connect families, Care.com has expanded its consumer service with its 2014 acquisition of Citrus Lane, the leading social commerce site for moms, and its 2013 acquisition of Big Tent, a community platform with more than 1 million active members. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Care.com has offices in Berlin, Austin, New York City and Silicon Valley.

*As of December 2014.

Contacts

Care.com
Jacalyn Lee, 917-725-3067
Public Relations Director
jlee@care.com

Release Summary

Care.com releases statistics from its 2015 Babysitter Survey, revealing national average babysitter rate is $13.44, an increase of 28% since 2009. www.care.com/babysittercost

Contacts

Care.com
Jacalyn Lee, 917-725-3067
Public Relations Director
jlee@care.com