Education and Childcare Administrators salary in the US
What do education and childcare administrators actually earn, and how does that change with age, education and location? These figures come straight from Census survey microdata.
How much do education and childcare administrators earn?
The typical (median) annual earnings for education and childcare administrators come to $81,220, which is 55% more than the $52,508 median for all US earners aged 25 and older. Among the 171 occupation groups in our data, only 38 report a higher median, so this is one of the better-paid lines of work in the country. The sample is 52,365 people aged 25 or older who listed this job and had earnings during the year.
| Position | Annual earnings |
|---|---|
| Top 10% start at | $156,407 |
| Top 25% start at | $115,442 |
| Median (top 50%) | $81,220 |
| Bottom 25% earn below | $52,474 |
How wide is the pay range?
Moving up the ladder, the top-quarter threshold is $115,442 and the top-10% threshold is $156,407, a 1.9× step up from the middle. At the other end, a quarter of education and childcare administrators earned $52,474 or less, which partly reflects part-time and part-year work — the survey counts everyone with earnings, not only full-time staff. That leaves a 1.5-to-1 ratio between the median and the 25th percentile.
Earnings by age
Pay grows sharply with age — from $57,721 for the 25–34 group to a peak of $94,452 at 45–54, 64% higher. After the peak, the 65+ group's median falls to $61,101 (35% lower), largely because more older workers cut back their hours.
Men and women
Men's median earnings are $95,459 and women's are $73,463, so women's median is 23% lower. About 67% of the sampled workers are women, going by raw survey counts. Part of that difference reflects hours worked and job level within the occupation, which these totals don't control for.
| Group | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| Men | $95,459 | 17,461 |
| Women | $73,463 | 34,904 |
Does education change the pay?
Workers with a doctorate ($121,830) earn 154% more than those with some college or an associate degree ($48,039). The most common credential in the sample is a master's degree, with 23,446 records. Thin cells (under 100 records) aren't shown.
| Education | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| High school or less | $50,763 | 2,855 |
| Some college / associate | $48,039 | 5,884 |
| Bachelor's | $67,032 | 12,710 |
| Master's | $92,353 | 23,446 |
| Professional degree | $102,619 | 2,460 |
| Doctorate | $121,830 | 5,010 |
Where the most work, and what they earn there
In terms of headcount in the survey, California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania lead the country. California pays best of the five ($96,477 median); Florida pays least ($68,216). State figures aren't price-adjusted; 50 states have a large enough sample to report.
| State | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| California | $96,477 | 5,849 |
| Texas | $78,713 | 4,467 |
| New York | $95,459 | 3,997 |
| Florida | $68,216 | 2,546 |
| Pennsylvania | $80,653 | 2,145 |
Occupations with similar pay
Occupations with a median close to $81,220 include compliance officers ($81,220), computer occupations, all other ($81,220), police officers ($81,220), and accountants and auditors ($80,205). They aren't interchangeable careers, though the middle of the pay distribution is close.
| Occupation | Median earnings | vs. this job |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance Officers | $81,220 | 0% |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $81,220 | 0% |
| Police Officers | $81,220 | 0% |
| Accountants and Auditors | $80,205 | −1% |
| Sales Representatives Of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, And Travel | $82,334 | +1% |
About these figures
How to read these numbers: they are annual personal earnings (wages plus self-employment income) for people aged 25+ who reported working as education and childcare administrators, pooled over 2020–2024 and adjusted to 2024 dollars. Part-time and part-year workers are included. Every group shown has at least 100 survey records; 52,365 records sit behind the headline median.
See where your pay ranks among education and childcare administrators
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Open the calculatorSource: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) — personal earnings (PERNP) in 2024 dollars, person-weighted
Reference statistics only — not financial advice.