State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Home Health Aide Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Home Health Aides earn a median of $35,800 per year ($17.21/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 17.0% through 2034, with about 765,800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 31-1121Healthcare SupportLast updated August 23, 2026
- Median pay
- $35,800
- Projected growth
- +17.0%
- Openings a year
- 765,800
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Caregiver, Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA), Certified Medical Aide (CMA), Certified Nurses Aide (CNA), Home Attendant, Home Care Aide.
How much do Home Health Aides make?
10th percentile$27,040
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$31,920
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$35,800
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$39,470
Upper quartile
90th percentile$45,040
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $35,800 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $17.21/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $36,120 |
| People employed | 4,305,810 |
Versus all US occupations
At $35,800, Home Health Aides earn 30% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $15,180 a year.
Versus healthcare support occupations
Inside the Healthcare Support group, where the middle occupation pays $44,910, this is 20% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $45,040 or more while the bottom 10% earn $27,040, a gap of 1.7×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 4% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Washington pays the most at $47,730, and still leads at $44,602 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Home Health Aides the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $47,730 | $44,602 | 103,260 |
| Oregon | $44,410 | $42,966 | 42,330 |
| Rhode Island | $43,680 | $42,706 | 7,490 |
| District of Columbia | $42,700 | $38,853 | 12,810 |
| Vermont | $41,600 | $42,467 | 7,700 |
| Massachusetts | $40,910 | $38,683 | 117,940 |
| Alaska | $39,740 | $38,824 | 6,530 |
| New York | $39,620 | $36,712 | 663,140 |
| North Dakota | $39,440 | $44,335 | 7,730 |
| Connecticut | $38,990 | $37,632 | 49,510 |
Is Home Health Aide a growing career?
Home Health Aides17.0%
All US occupations3.1%
+17.0% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Home Health Aides to change 17.0% over 2024–2034, roughly 5.5× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 739,800 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 765,800 openings are projected each year, 17.6% of the 4,347,700 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The services that home health and personal care aides provide will be in high demand to care for the rising number of older people.
The locations in which care is offered are affected by both policy changes and lifestyle preferences of older adults and people with disabilities. Long-term care services are shifting from institutional settings, such as nursing homes, to home- and community-based settings. This shift is expected to create many new jobs for home health and personal care aides.
How to become a Home Health Aide
There is a federal training floor that many people do not know exists. Under 42 CFR 484.80, an aide employed by a Medicare-certified home health agency must complete at least 75 hours of classroom and supervised practical training and pass a competency evaluation conducted by a registered nurse. That rule reaches agencies in the Medicare program; it does not reach a caregiver a family hires privately. A handful of states go further and credential the individual aide, most clearly Washington, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.
The credential path, step by step
- Check whether the job is agency-based or private
This decides which rules apply to you. Certified home health and hospice agencies that receive Medicare payments must comply with 42 CFR 484.80. Private-pay agencies that receive no federal funds are governed only by state law, which in most states sets no individual requirement at all.
- Complete at least 75 hours of trainingAt least 75 hours
Classroom and supervised practical training must total at least 75 hours, and a minimum of 16 hours of classroom training must precede a minimum of 16 hours of supervised practical training as part of that 75. The two 16-hour blocks sit inside the 75, not on top of it, and the order is mandatory. Practical training is done under the direct supervision of a registered nurse, or of a licensed practical nurse who is supervised by a registered nurse.
- Cover the fourteen required subject areas
The regulation lists them: communication skills; observation, reporting and documentation; reading and recording temperature, pulse and respiration; basic infection prevention and control; basic elements of body functioning; maintaining a clean, safe and healthy environment; recognizing emergencies; the physical, emotional and developmental needs of the populations served, including respect for privacy and property; safe personal hygiene and grooming, itemized down to bed bath, sponge, tub and shower bath, hair shampooing, nail and skin care, oral hygiene, and toileting and elimination; safe transfer techniques and ambulation; normal range of motion and positioning; adequate nutrition and fluid intake; recognizing and reporting skin changes; and any other task the state permits.
- Pass the competency evaluation
It must address every subject area, and five of them (communication skills; reading and recording vital signs; personal hygiene and grooming; safe transfer and ambulation; and range of motion and positioning) must be evaluated by observing performance with a patient or pseudo-patient. A registered nurse performs the evaluation. An aide does not pass with an unsatisfactory rating in more than one required area.
- Use the nurse aide route if you already hold it
A state-approved nurse aide training and competency evaluation program that meets 42 CFR 483.151 through 483.154 satisfies the requirement, provided you are in good standing on the state nurse aide registry. Those programs carry a parallel 75-hour floor with at least 16 hours of supervised practical training and 16 hours of training before any direct contact with a resident.
- Apply for a state credential where one exists
Washington certifies Home Care Aides through its Department of Health, with a certification examination that includes both a skills demonstration and a written or oral knowledge test. New Jersey certifies Homemaker-Home Health Aides through its Board of Nursing. The District of Columbia licenses home health aides through its Board of Nursing, with testing contracted to Credentia. Most states issue nothing to the individual.
- Keep up the in-service hours
A home health aide must receive at least 12 hours of in-service training during each 12-month period, and it may be delivered while the aide is furnishing care. Note also the lapse rule: if 24 consecutive months pass with no compensated services, the training and competency evaluation must be completed again.
- How long the training takes
At least 75 hours of training
The federal floor is 75 hours. States that go beyond it vary widely: New York requires 75 hours split as 59 classroom plus 16 supervised practical, so its classroom floor is nearly four times the federal one; New Jersey requires 76 hours as 60 classroom plus 16 clinical, with testing time excluded; the District of Columbia's Board of Nursing curriculum runs 125 hours as 65 classroom, 20 lab and 40 clinical; and California's Department of Public Health sets a 120-hour program standard even though the statutory floor in Health and Safety Code section 1736.1 is 75 hours.
- Continuing education
Required to stay credentialed
At least 12 hours of in-service training in each 12-month period for aides covered by 42 CFR 484.80(d), supervised by a registered nurse. States layer their own cycles on top: Washington requires 12 hours of continuing education each year for long-term care workers, New York requires 12 hours of in-service education a year for home health aides, and California requires 24 in-service hours over each two-year certificate period with a minimum of 12 a year.
Licensing and state variation
Not a state license
In most states nothing is issued to the individual aide: the obligation sits on the Medicare-certified agency that employs you. Where a state does credential the person, the shape differs. Washington requires certification as a Home Care Aide by the Department of Health, based on 75 hours of entry-level training (2 hours orientation and 3 hours safety before providing care, plus 70 hours of basic training) and a certification examination; the statutory window to certify is 200 days from hire, temporarily extended to 365 days through 31 December 2027. New Jersey issues a Certified Homemaker-Home Health Aide credential through the Board of Nursing, renewed every two years. California runs two separate systems that are easy to confuse: a Home Health Aide certificate from CDPH with a 120-hour program standard and a two-year renewal requiring 24 in-service hours, and a Home Care Aide registry listing from CDSS that is a background-check registry rather than a licence, requiring only 5 hours of entry-level training and 5 hours a year. Federal law does not require states to keep a home health aide registry at all; 42 CFR 483.156 makes it optional.
Who governs the credential
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — Writes and enforces the home health Conditions of Participation at 42 CFR part 484, which set the 75-hour training floor, the competency evaluation and the 12-hour annual in-service requirement for aides at Medicare-certified agencies.
- Washington State Department of Health — Issues Washington's Home Care Aide certification and administers its skills and knowledge examination; the Department of Social and Health Services approves the training and continuing education behind it.
- New Jersey Board of Nursing — Certifies Homemaker-Home Health Aides after a 76-hour training program, a competency evaluation and a criminal history background check.
- California Department of Public Health (CDPH) — Certifies California home health aides and maintains the registry employers must check before hiring. Separately, the Department of Social Services runs the Home Care Aide registry, which is a listing rather than a licence.
Credential detail for home health aides is researched by hand from the bodies that issue it, not derived from BLS or O*NET. Sources last checked August 23, 2026. Requirements change: confirm with your own state board before enrolling in anything.
- eCFR: 42 CFR 484.80, Condition of participation: Home health aide services · checked August 23, 2026
- eCFR: 42 CFR 484.1, Basis and scope of the home health Conditions of Participation · checked August 23, 2026
- eCFR: 42 CFR 483.152, Requirements for approval of a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program · checked August 23, 2026
- eCFR: 42 CFR 483.156, Registry of nurse aides · checked August 23, 2026
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Home Health and Personal Care Aides · checked August 23, 2026
- Washington State Department of Health: Home Care Aide certification · checked August 23, 2026
- Washington RCW 74.39A.074: Long-term care worker training requirements · checked August 23, 2026
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs: Homemaker-Home Health Aide training standards (N.J.A.C. 13:37-14.4) · checked August 23, 2026
- New York State Department of Health: Guide to Operation of a Home Health Aide Training Program · checked August 23, 2026
- California Health and Safety Code section 1736.1 (home health aide training) · checked August 23, 2026
- CDPH: 120-Hour Home Health Aide Training Program Applicants · checked August 23, 2026
- California Department of Social Services: Home Care Aide application process · checked August 23, 2026
- DC Health: Home Health Aide · checked August 23, 2026
What the federal data says
Home health and personal care aides typically need a high school diploma or equivalent, but some positions do not require it. Those working in certified home health or hospice agencies must complete formal training and pass a standardized test.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as home health aides.
- High School Diploma62.6%
- Post-Secondary Certificate20.9%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)8.8%
- Some College Courses7.0%
- Less than a High School Diploma0.6%
What does a Home Health Aide do?
Monitor the health status of an individual with disabilities or illness, and address their health-related needs, such as changing bandages, dressing wounds, or administering medication. Work is performed under the direction of offsite or intermittent onsite licensed nursing staff. Provide assistance with routine healthcare tasks or activities of daily living, such as feeding, bathing, toileting, or ambulation. May also help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry depending on the patient's abilities.
Home health and personal care aides monitor the condition of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses and help them with daily living activities. They often help older adults who need assistance. Under the direction of a nurse or other healthcare practitioner, home health aides may be allowed to give a client medication or to check the client’s vital signs.
Day-to-day tasks
- Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
- Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming.
- Bathe patients.
- Maintain records of patient care, condition, progress, or problems to report and discuss observations with supervisor or case manager.
- Entertain, converse with, or read aloud to patients to keep them mentally healthy and alert.
- Plan, purchase, prepare, or serve meals to patients or other family members, according to prescribed diets.
- Check patients' pulse, temperature, and respiration.
- Perform a variety of duties as requested by client, such as obtaining household supplies or running errands.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most aides work full time, although part-time work is common. They may work evening and weekend hours, depending on their clients’ needs. Work schedules may vary.
Where the work happens
- Almost never works outdoors
Physical demands
- Regular bending or twisting
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey, showing only the signals people in the job report decisively one way or the other.
Where home health aides work
| Individual and family services | 49% |
|---|---|
| Home healthcare services | 24% |
| Residential intellectual and developmental disability facilities | 6% |
| Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly | 6% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.8/5
- Critical Thinking3.4/5
- Reading Comprehension3.3/5
- Monitoring3.3/5
- Writing3.1/5
- Speaking3.1/5
- Active Learning3.0/5
- Learning Strategies3.0/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation3.6/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.5/5
- Persuasion3.1/5
- Instructing3.1/5
- Time Management3.1/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
Tools and software
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Data base reporting software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Home Health Aide?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary4.2
Investigative3.2
Artistic1.5
Socialprimary6.3
Enterprising1.8
Conventionalprimary3.5
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Home Health Aide: frequently asked questions
How much do Home Health Aides make?
Home Health Aides earn a median of $35,800 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 30% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $17.21/hr. The middle half earn between $31,920 and $39,470. The top 10% earn $45,040 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Home Health Aide?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Home Health Aides. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 62.6% hold high school diploma.
Is Home Health Aide a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 17.0% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 765,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Home Health Aide do?
Home health and personal care aides monitor the condition of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses and help them with daily living activities. A core O*NET task: care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care. Employers most often ask for Customer relationship management CRM software, Data base user interface and query software, Document management software.
Which states pay Home Health Aides the most?
The highest state medians for Home Health Aides are Washington ($47,730), Oregon ($44,410), Rhode Island ($43,680) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Home Health Aide?
O*NET scores Home Health Aides highest on the Social, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.
How long does it take to become a Home Health Aide?
At least 75 hours of training. The federal floor is 75 hours. States that go beyond it vary widely: New York requires 75 hours split as 59 classroom plus 16 supervised practical, so its classroom floor is nearly four times the federal one; New Jersey requires 76 hours as 60 classroom plus 16 clinical, with testing time excluded; the District of Columbia's Board of Nursing curriculum runs 125 hours as 65 classroom, 20 lab and 40 clinical; and California's Department of Public Health sets a 120-hour program standard even though the statutory floor in Health and Safety Code section 1736.1 is 75 hours.
Do you need a license to work as a Home Health Aide?
Not a state license. In most states nothing is issued to the individual aide: the obligation sits on the Medicare-certified agency that employs you. Where a state does credential the person, the shape differs. Washington requires certification as a Home Care Aide by the Department of Health, based on 75 hours of entry-level training (2 hours orientation and 3 hours safety before providing care, plus 70 hours of basic training) and a certification examination; the statutory window to certify is 200 days from hire, temporarily extended to 365 days through 31 December 2027. New Jersey issues a Certified Homemaker-Home Health Aide credential through the Board of Nursing, renewed every two years. California runs two separate systems that are easy to confuse: a Home Health Aide certificate from CDPH with a 120-hour program standard and a two-year renewal requiring 24 in-service hours, and a Home Care Aide registry listing from CDSS that is a background-check registry rather than a licence, requiring only 5 hours of entry-level training and 5 hours a year. Federal law does not require states to keep a home health aide registry at all; 42 CFR 483.156 makes it optional.