Home Health Aides earn a median of $35,800 per year ($17.21/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 18.1% through 2035, with about 760,500 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 31-1121
- Healthcare Support
- Last updated October 15, 2026
At a glance
Home Health Aide in four numbers
- Median pay
- $35,800a year, or $17.21/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $27KTop 10% $45K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +18.1%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+18.1%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +18.1% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 760,5004,677,100 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20254.7M
- Projected 20355.5M
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 4.7M Projected 2035 5.5M - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Caregiver, CHHA (Certified Home Health Aide), CMA (Certified Medical Aide), CNA (Certified Nurses Aide), Direct Care Professional, Home Care Aide.
Pay
How much do home health aides make?
Home Health Aides earn a median of $35,800 a year ($17.21 an hour, or about $2,980 a month); the lowest-paid 10% earn less than $27,040 and the top 10% more than $45,040 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The best-paying state is Washington, with a median of $47,730. See Home health aide salary in Washington and every other state. By city, pay is highest around Grants Pass ($51,080 average): salary in every city.
Every home health aide in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$35,800
Middle half earn $31,920 to $39,470
- 10th
- $27,040
- 25th
- $31,920
- 75th
- $39,470
- 90th
- $45,040
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $27,040 |
| 25th | $31,920 |
| Median | $35,800 |
| 75th | $39,470 |
| 90th | $45,040 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- 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 $42,260, this is 15% 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 3% of the 1,741 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.
Pay by state
Which states pay home health aides the most?
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.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington | $47,730 | $44,602 | 103,260 |
| 2Oregon | $44,410 | $42,966 | 42,330 |
| 3Rhode Island | $43,680 | $42,706 | 7,490 |
| 4District of Columbia | $42,700 | $38,853 | 12,810 |
| 5Vermont | $41,600 | $42,467 | 7,700 |
| 6Massachusetts | $40,910 | $38,683 | 117,940 |
| 7Alaska | $39,740 | $38,824 | 6,530 |
| 8New York | $39,620 | $36,712 | 663,140 |
| 9North Dakota | $39,440 | $44,335 | 7,730 |
| 10Connecticut | $38,990 | $37,632 | 49,510 |
Job outlook
Is home health aide a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +18.1% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Home Health Aides | +18.1% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Home Health Aides to change 18.1% over 2025–2035, roughly 5.2× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 847,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 760,500 openings are projected each year, 16.3% of the 4,677,100 jobs that existed in 2025. 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.
AI exposure: moderate
BLS places this occupation in its moderate relative AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.
Getting in
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.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
Full BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entryThe work
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
- Check patients' pulse, temperature, and respiration.
- Maintain records of patient care, condition, progress, or problems to report and discuss observations with supervisor or case manager.
- Plan, purchase, prepare, or serve meals to patients or other family members, according to prescribed diets.
- Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming.
- Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
- Bathe patients.
- Provide patients and families with emotional support and instruction in areas such as caring for infants, preparing healthy meals, living independently, or adapting to disability or illness.
- Entertain, converse with, or read aloud to patients to keep them mentally healthy and alert.
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
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeOn their feet more than half the working day.
Bending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the timeRegular bending or twisting.
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Where home health aides work
Share of jobs by employer type
- Individual and family services51%
- Home healthcare services23%
- Residential intellectual and developmental disability facilities6%
- Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly6%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Individual and family services | 51% |
| Home healthcare services | 23% |
| Residential intellectual and developmental disability facilities | 6% |
| Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly | 6% |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Speaking3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Writing2.9
- Active Learning2.9
- Learning Strategies2.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Speaking | 3.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 |
| Writing | 2.9 |
| Active Learning | 2.9 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Service Orientation4.0
- Social Perceptiveness3.8
- Time Management3.1
- Instructing3.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Coordination2.9
- Persuasion2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Service Orientation | 4.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.8 |
| Time Management | 3.1 |
| Instructing | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 2.9 |
| Persuasion | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
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.
The workforce
Who works as a home health aide?
Women make up 86.1% of home health aides, against 47.1% of all employed people: a female-dominated occupation.
33.2% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs), so a larger-than-usual share of the workforce reaches retirement age over the next decade. Those exits are counted in the BLS openings figure.
The median worker is 48.7 years old (all workers: 42.1).
- Women
- 86.1%All workers 47.1% · BLS CPS, 2025
- Median age
- 48.7All workers 42.1 · BLS CPS, 2025
- Aged 55+
- 33.2%All workers 23.2% · BLS CPS, 2025
- Employed (CPS)
- 726,000BLS CPS, 2025
| Group | Share of home health aides | All employed people |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 86.1% | 47.1% |
| White | 52.5% | 75.7% |
| Black or African American | 30.8% | 12.7% |
| Asian | 12.9% | 7.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 28.7% | 20.0% |
| Aged 55 and over | 33.2% | 23.2% |
| Aged 16 to 24 | 4.8% | 12.2% |
Current Population Survey annual averages, 2025 (BLS tables 11 and 11b). Race groups can overlap with Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, so they do not sum to 100%.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a home health aide?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Home Health Aide |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 6 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
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.
- Social6.3
- Realistic4.2
- Conventional3.5
- Investigative3.2
- Enterprising1.8
- Artistic1.5
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.
Explore further
Careers related to Home Health Aide
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Support
- Healthcare Support
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Support
- Healthcare Support
More healthcare support careers
Median annual pay, with home health aides highlighted
- Occupational Therapy Assistant$72,300
- Physical Therapist Assistant$68,380
- Massage Therapist$58,450
- Dental Assistant$48,070
- Medical Assistant$45,690
- Phlebotomist$45,230
- Nursing Assistant$42,260
- Veterinary Assistant and Laboratory Animal Caretaker$38,150
- Home Health Aide$35,800
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy Assistant | $72,300 |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | $68,380 |
| Massage Therapist | $58,450 |
| Dental Assistant | $48,070 |
| Medical Assistant | $45,690 |
| Phlebotomist | $45,230 |
| Nursing Assistant | $42,260 |
| Veterinary Assistant and Laboratory Animal Caretaker | $38,150 |
| Home Health Aide | $35,800 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Questions
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.
How much do home health aides make an hour?
The median hourly wage for home health aides is $17.21 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $35,800 annual median works out to about $2,980 a month before tax.
What is the starting salary for a home health aide?
BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of home health aides earn less than $27,040 a year and the bottom quarter less than $31,920 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.
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 kind of home health aide earns the most?
BLS does not split home health aides' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $45,040, against a median of $35,800 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Washington ($47,730), Oregon ($44,410), Rhode Island ($43,680).
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.
Is home health aide a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 18.1% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 760,500 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: check patients' pulse, temperature, and respiration. Employers most often ask for Customer relationship management CRM software, Data base user interface and query software, Document management software.
Do home health aides work 40 hours a week?
Yes, for most. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 26% of home health aides usually work more than 40 hours a week, 54% work exactly 40 and 21% work fewer. 81% say their schedule is regular and 4% irregular, and 15% work seasonally. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.
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 1,731 careers 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.
What percentage of home health aides are women?
Women make up 86.1% of home health aides, against 47.1% of all employed people: a female-dominated occupation. 33.2% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs), so a larger-than-usual share of the workforce reaches retirement age over the next decade. Those exits are counted in the BLS openings figure. The median worker is 48.7 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.