It has been many, many years since I needed a babysitter or did any sitting for others.

What is the going rate these days?

Not nanny services like dd does but just regular babysitting for a night out on the town.

Babysitting rates vary greatly by area. My daughter gets paid $5 per hour for 1 child, and $$7-8 per hour for multiple children, on average! Some families pay her a straight $5 an hour for multiple children, and another family that has one child pays her $8 an hour.....so it really depends on the family, the area, and the income of the family. When I (very very very occasionally) have to hire someone to watch the two younger girls, I pay $5 per hour for both of them, but that is all that I can afford, and the gals that sit for me know that.

I pay $10/ hour for a challenging kiddo. going rate is $8/hour in our area

WOW!~ It's been a long time since I've needed a sitter, too, but those prices are ornery. Around here, they girls that babysit (boys, too I suppose) get about $5.00/hr. If it's for a weekend, they negotiate for the entire weekend, not hourly.

Guess I wouldn't be going out much if I had little ones these days!

The average rates in the entire U.S. is $6.04/hr. In NYC, it's $11.08. I hope that gives you a reference point to go from.

Source: New-York-Babysitters.com

Judy,
In Marietta/Powder Springs we were paying $5-$6 per hour (for one child) for middle and high school students. Buckhead area is $10/hour. That may give you a better idea of the market where you live.

I think when we were with friends in Dunwoody, the college girl charged about $10/hour, but that was to watch 3-4 kids.

Dawn

When we used to have a high schooler come in, I paid a $5/hour.

That was 3-4 years ago. Now I rarely get sitters.

I imagine the rate is up to about 6-8 per hour.

Usually, I pay about $5/hour for evenings, since DS goes to bed within an hour or so of us leaving. For day time, when there's more work involved in keeping him entertained, the rate tends to be more like $10/hour.

Rates vary incredibly by area Judy. In OH, I pay $5/hour for my one, 7 year old. My sil in Boston pays $15 - $20/hour for her one 4 year old.

i believe my dd (who is 14 and certified thru the american red cross' babysitter program) got paid $8-10 per hour for 2 small kids who basically slept the entire time the parents were away. i don't know if the rates vary by area but that is what she got for a north carolina universit-type town.