Child and Youth Services — Average Employee Salary
The average employee in the child and youth services industry earns $44,152 per year ($21.23/hour), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW data.
What Do Child and Youth Workers Earn?
At $44,152/year (equivalent to $21.23/hour for a full-time worker), child and youth services wages are below the national average of ~$65,000.
Lower wages in this industry are common in service-oriented or retail-adjacent sectors where entry barriers are lower. This can be an advantage for business owners managing payroll costs, but may contribute to higher turnover.
The typical child and youth services business employs 16 people. These are mid-sized operations where payroll is a significant but manageable expense.
Wages as a Percentage of Revenue
For the average child and youth services business generating $1.6M/year with 16 employees at $44,152 each, total payroll represents roughly 44.5% of revenue. Labor is a significant cost but leaves room for other expenses and profit.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you're starting or running a child and youth servicesbusiness, here's what the wage data means for your bottom line:
- Per-employee cost: Budget approximately $57,398/year per employee (salary + ~30% for benefits, taxes, and insurance).
- Typical team size: 16 employees = ~$706,432/year in base payroll.
- Hourly equivalent: $21.23/hour base — factor this into pricing and project estimates.
- Revenue needed: With average revenue of $1.6M/business, you need strong utilization rates to maintain healthy margins after payroll.
See how these wages compare to total revenue and profit margins.
View full Child and Youth Services revenue benchmarks →Frequently Asked Questions
- How much do child and youth services employees make?
- The average child and youth services employee earns $44,152 per year, which is equivalent to $21.23/hour for a full-time worker (2,080 hours/year). This is below the national average of approximately $65,000.
- How many people work in the child and youth services industry?
- The child and youth services industry employs 223,166 workers across 13,715 establishments in the United States. The average business in this industry has approximately 16 employees.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW 2023).