How Much Should You Expect to Pay For A Babysitter In Iowa?

Just the other day, it was revealed that the average babysitter will set you back $13.50/hour, well above the minimum wage. In fact, just 5 years ago, that average wage was at $10.50/hr. That's a 28% wage increase. Has your job proved that fruitful? So how do Iowa babysitters compare?

The survey was done by the website Care.com. And before you go cancelling upcoming dates because a babysitter will cost way too much, take comfort in knowing Iowa is under the national average. In fact, Des Moines makes the list of the 10 cheapest places to hire a babysitter, in at number 7, with a rate of $11.97/hr, which is a little bit easier on the wallet, and way under what the 10 most expensive city wages are, from over $14/hr all the way up to San Francisco, the most expensive city, at a whopping $16.55/hr. (DJ, Kimmy, and Stephanie would've been cleaning up!)

So how do you figure out what to pay yours? There's a lot to consider, from trust and experience, to what you're expecting them to do or not do. And should you tip them? 26% of parents are ok with it. What about give them a raise? 87% of respondents said "Sure." It seems like it's a great time to be in the babysitting biz.

All that being said, only 3% of parents say what the babysitter charges is the biggest decision maker in who they hire. So what the most important factor? Almost half of the respondents agreed that it all about how much their kids like the sitter. Fair enough. Check out the full article here.

We know there's a lot of factors that go into it, but what do you think?