Start with the answer
Childcare Workers pay in North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL and Punta Gorda, FL
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Childcare Workers is $47,300 per year in North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL. It is $34,730 per year in Punta Gorda, FL. North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL is 36.2% above Punta Gorda, FL on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 39-9011 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 1,530 wage and salary jobs in North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL and 120 in Punta Gorda, FL. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings