Average Home Health And Personal Care Aides Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Home Health And Personal Care Aides is $34,900 per year. The middle 50% earn between $30,370 and $37,980, with 3,988,140 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates . Data covers 51 states and 392 metro areas.
Wage range
Pay distribution
Here is how Home Health And Personal Care Aides pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $25,600
- 25th
- $30,370
- Median
- $34,900
- 75th
- $37,980
- 90th
- $44,190
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
This is a lower-wage occupation relative to the US labor market. Pay is below the national median for all workers.
Pay is tightly clustered around the median. Most home health and personal care aides earn within a narrow band, with less variation than many other occupations. That is often a sign of standardized roles or union and public-sector pay scales.
BLS projections
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for home health and personal care aides from 2024 to 2034. Home Health And Personal Care Aides are projected to grow much faster than average, more than double the roughly 4% growth rate for all US occupations. Demand is strong and outpacing most of the labor market.
- Projected growth
- +17.0%
- 739,800 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 765,800
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings are high relative to the workforce size, reflecting meaningful turnover and new-hire volume.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
A high-school diploma is typically sufficient for entry, with much of the training happening on the job.
Where Home Health And Personal Care Aides earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where home health and personal care aides work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is Washington at $46,140, about 32.2% above the national median. At the metro level, Longview-Kelso, WA leads with a median of $47,100.
By state
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $46,140 | 100,360 |
| Rhode Island | $41,890 | 8,800 |
| Oregon | $41,490 | 38,890 |
| Massachusetts | $39,520 | 108,090 |
| District of Columbia | $39,420 | 11,490 |
| North Dakota | $39,100 | 7,090 |
| Alaska | $38,370 | 6,220 |
| Connecticut | $38,200 | 41,890 |
By metro
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Longview-Kelso, WA | $47,100 | 1,630 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $46,690 | 53,140 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $46,350 | 1,090 |
| Walla Walla, WA | $46,140 | 1,180 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $46,070 | 4,500 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $46,030 | 9,980 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $45,690 | 2,090 |
| Bellingham, WA | $45,030 | 2,430 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see home health and personal care aides pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2024, the national median salary for Home Health And Personal Care Aides rose from $25,280 to $34,900, a gain of +38.1% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +22.7%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $25,280 would need to be worth $31,018 in 2024 dollars.
The actual 2024 median of $34,900 is $3,882 above that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of +12.5% in purchasing power.
Real wages have grown strongly, 12.5% above inflation. Workers in this field have meaningfully gained purchasing power.
- Nominal change
- +38.1%
- 2019–2024
- Cumulative inflation
- +22.7%
- US CPI, 2019–2024
- Real change
- +12.5%
- After adjusting for inflation
Annual history
Median salary over time
Home Health And Personal Care Aides median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2019
- $25,280
- 2020
- $27,080
- 2021
- $29,430
- 2022
- $30,180
- 2023
- $33,530
- 2024
- $34,900
Similar jobs
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Orderlies
- $37,700
- Nursing Assistants
- $39,530
- Psychiatric Aides
- $41,590
- Physical Therapist Aides
- $34,520
- Pharmacy Aides
- $37,000
- Occupational Therapy Aides
- $37,370
- Medical Transcriptionists
- $37,550
Common salary questions for Home Health And Personal Care Aides
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Home Health And Personal Care Aides workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.