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.
Personal Care Aide Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Personal Care 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 31-1122Healthcare SupportLast updated August 15, 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: Care Provider, Caregiver, Direct Care Worker, Home Care Aide, Medication Aide, Personal Care Aide.
How much do Personal Care 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, Personal Care 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 Personal Care 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 Personal Care Aide a growing career?
Personal Care Aides17.0%
All US occupations3.1%
+17.0% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Personal Care 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 Personal Care Aide
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 personal care aides.
- High School Diploma47.8%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)22.5%
- Less than a High School Diploma17.5%
- Post-Secondary Certificate6.2%
- Some College Courses6.0%
What does a Personal Care Aide do?
Provide personalized assistance to individuals with disabilities or illness who require help with personal care and activities of daily living support (e.g., feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and ambulation). May also provide help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry. Work is performed in various settings depending on the needs of the care recipient and may include locations such as their home, place of work, out in the community, or at a daytime nonresidential facility.
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
- Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance.
- Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor.
- Provide clients with communication assistance, typing their correspondence or obtaining information for them.
- Care for individuals or families during periods of incapacitation, family disruption, or convalescence, providing companionship, personal care, or help in adjusting to new lifestyles.
- Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists.
- Instruct or advise clients on issues, such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care.
- Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services.
- Perform housekeeping duties, such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes or dishes, or running errands.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where personal care 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 Listening3.4/5
- Critical Thinking3.3/5
- Monitoring3.3/5
- Speaking3.0/5
- Reading Comprehension2.9/5
- Writing2.9/5
- Active Learning2.9/5
- Learning Strategies2.8/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation4.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.9/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Instructing3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Persuasion2.4/5
Tools and software
- Medical software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Computer based training software
- Data base reporting software
- Electronic mail software
- Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
- Video conferencing 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 Personal Care Aide?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary3.5
Investigative1.8
Artistic1.8
Socialprimary6.2
Enterprising2.5
Conventionalprimary3.9
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
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.
Personal Care Aide: frequently asked questions
How much do Personal Care Aides make?
Personal Care 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 Personal Care 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 Personal Care 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, 47.8% hold high school diploma.
Is Personal Care 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 Personal Care 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: administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance. Employers most often ask for Medical software.
Which states pay Personal Care Aides the most?
The highest state medians for Personal Care Aides are Washington ($47,730), Oregon ($44,410), Rhode Island ($43,680) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Personal Care Aide?
O*NET scores Personal Care Aides highest on the Social, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.