What It Means
A stay-at-home parent is a mother or father whose main work is caring for the children and running the home, without a paid job outside it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics figures on this page count parents who are or aren't employed, which is a different measure from staying home to care for children. In 2025 the BLS found that one or both parents worked in 97.4% of married-couple families with children, and both worked in 66.3%.
Try It: Put a Wage You Choose on Child Care Hours
The hours and the hourly wage are examples: enter your own.
Child care time only. Cooking, cleaning and the rest of running a home aren't in this number.
How Parents Say It
- "I'm home with the kids until the youngest starts school."
- "We decided one of us would stay home for a few years."
- "Being a stay-at-home dad is a full-time job."
The Breakdown
Worked example. A parent at home with a 3-year-old counts 3 hours a day of direct child care and picks $16 an hour. Both numbers are examples.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| 3 hours × 7 days | 21 hours a week |
| 21 hours × $16 | $336 a week |
| $336 × 52 weeks | $17,472 a year |
What the result means. It puts a figure on one slice of the day at a wage you picked, which can help a couple talk about how they split work and money. It isn't what the work is worth on any market, and a different wage gives a different answer. The BLS American Time Use Survey publishes average daily child care hours each summer, broken out by the age of the youngest childBirth orderA child's position among siblings (firstborn, middle, youngest or only), and the popular theory that this position shapes personality. See more, if you want a national figure to compare with.
Federal figures for 2025 from the BLS
| Measure | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Married-couple families with children, both parents employed | 66.3% |
| At least one parent employed | 97.4% |
| Labor force participation, married mothers | 72.1% |
| Labor force participation, married fathers | 94.4% |
Good to Know
A parent who isn't employed may be caring for children, looking for work, in school or ill, so the BLS figures describe employment and aren't a count of stay-at-home parents. The Employment Characteristics of Families report comes out each April and the American Time Use Survey each summer, so check for a newer year before quoting either.
FAQ
How many parents stay home with their kids?
The BLS reports employment rather than a stay-at-home count. In 2025, both parents were employed in 66.3% of married-couple families with children, and at least one was employed in 97.4%.
How much time does a stay-at-home parent spend on child care?
The BLS American Time Use Survey measures it each year and reports average daily hours of child care by the age of the youngest child and by whether the adult is employed; parents who aren't employed average more. Check the latest release on bls.gov for the current figures.
What is a stay-at-home parent's work worth?
There's no official figure. You can multiply hours by a wage you choose, as the calculator does, but the answer depends entirely on the wage and the tasks you count.
Do It in Buhata
Budget and Calendar
Track the household's single income and every bill in Budget in Buhata, and put the children's appointments and activities on the Calendar so both parents see the week.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Stay-at-home parent salary
A way of pricing a stay-at-home parent's unpaid work by what it would cost to pay others for the same hours; no official source sets one figure.
- Working parent
A parent who holds a paid job, full time or part time, while raising children.
- Dual income household
A household where two adults, usually a couple, both earn income from work, so the budget runs on two paychecks.
- Mental load
The unseen work of noticing, planning and remembering everything a household needs, even when someone else carries out the task.
- Career break
A planned stretch of months or years away from paid work, for caregiving, study, health, travel or rest, usually with a plan to return later.
Sources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Employment Characteristics of Families, 2025" (April 23, 2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Economics Daily, "Among married-couple families with children, 97.4 percent had at least one employed parent in 2025"; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "American Time Use Survey, 2025 Results" (June 25, 2026)
- www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm
- www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/among-married-couple-families-with-children-97-4-percent-had-at-least-one-employed-parent-in-2025.htm
- www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm
Last updated .