Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare Salary
In St. Louis, MO-IL, education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares earn $49,960 at the median, or about $24.02 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $86K for experienced workers.
So what does $50K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.1). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Pay for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare in St. Louis runs about 16% below the U.S. median of $59K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,218/month, which is 36% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.1) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $58K | , |
| Columbia | $46K | , |
| Springfield | $46K | , |
| Jefferson City | $47K | , |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $86K or more, a $48K spread from bottom to top.
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $97K | +63% | 3,950 |
| New Jersey | $79K | +33% | 2,900 |
| District of Columbia | $78K | +31% | 410 |
| Alaska | $76K | +27% | 60 |
| Washington | $70K | +19% | 1,560 |
| Massachusetts | $70K | +19% | 2,260 |
| California | $67K | +13% | 9,810 |
| Hawaii | $65K | +10% | 260 |
| Colorado | $65K | +9% | 1,150 |
| South Dakota | $63K | +7% | 150 |
| Vermont | $63K | +7% | 190 |
| Maryland | $63K | +5% | 1,270 |
| Minnesota | $62K | +5% | 1,010 |
| Utah | $61K | +3% | 400 |
| Georgia | $60K | +2% | 1,550 |
| Oregon | $60K | +2% | 1,230 |
| Nevada | $60K | +1% | N/A |
| Maine | $60K | +1% | 240 |
| Wisconsin | $60K | +1% | 1,320 |
| Connecticut | $60K | +1% | 1,290 |
| Indiana | $59K | -1% | 750 |
| Illinois | $59K | -1% | 3,090 |
| Delaware | $58K | -2% | 420 |
| North Carolina | $57K | -4% | 2,410 |
| Kansas | $57K | -4% | 600 |
| Michigan | $57K | -4% | 1,890 |
| Florida | $57K | -4% | 5,980 |
| Pennsylvania | $56K | -5% | 4,100 |
| Wyoming | $56K | -5% | 160 |
| Nebraska | $56K | -5% | 550 |
| Rhode Island | $55K | -7% | 390 |
| New Hampshire | $55K | -7% | 410 |
| Virginia | $53K | -10% | 1,590 |
| North Dakota | $51K | -13% | 290 |
| South Carolina | $51K | -14% | 700 |
| Texas | $51K | -14% | 5,480 |
| Mississippi | $50K | -16% | 580 |
| Ohio | $50K | -16% | 3,030 |
| Tennessee | $49K | -17% | 710 |
| Idaho | $49K | -18% | 200 |
| Arizona | $48K | -19% | 1,210 |
| Montana | $48K | -19% | 180 |
| Missouri | $48K | -19% | 1,060 |
| Iowa | $47K | -20% | 1,020 |
| Oklahoma | $47K | -21% | 830 |
| Louisiana | $46K | -22% | 690 |
| West Virginia | $46K | -23% | 290 |
| Arkansas | $45K | -24% | 1,090 |
| Kentucky | $45K | -25% | 1,000 |
| Alabama | $42K | -30% | 940 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare salary changes
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Related careers in Management
Frequently asked questions
Can a education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 36% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,333/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 52% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay runs 16% below the national median — $50K here vs. $59K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares?
St. Louis pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.1), the purchasing-power equivalent is $53K — below the national median.
How much do education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $49,960 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,880, and experienced education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares can clear $86,390. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,383/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 36% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare salary is worth about $52,534 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycares get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.