BLS OEWS May 2025 · Broader BLS occupation: SOC 31-1120 Home Health and Personal Care Aides
BLS publishes no separate wage for home health aides.
Home health and personal care aides combined (SOC 31-1120 Home Health and Personal Care Aides), the broader occupation they are counted in, earned a median $35,800 a year ($17.21 an hour) in May 2025.
The middle half of that group earned between $31,920 and $39,470.
BLS publishes home health aides and personal care aides as one combined occupation (31-1120); this is that combined group, not home health aides alone.
Annual figures are BLS hourly wages × 2,080 hours. OEWS covers wage-and-salary workers only, so it leaves out the self-employed, workers employed directly by private households (such as caregivers hired by families), overtime pay and most bonuses.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $27,040 | $13.00 |
| 25th | $31,920 | $15.35 |
| 50th (median) | $35,800 | $17.21 |
| 75th | $39,470 | $18.98 |
| 90th | $45,040 | $21.65 |
| Mean (average) | $36,120 | $17.36 |
SOC 31-1120 Home Health and Personal Care Aides, the broader occupation (not a home health aide series): 4,305,810 wage-and-salary jobs, BLS OEWS May 2025.
National median for home health and personal care aides combined (SOC 31-1120) by the industry of the employer, BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates.
BLS publishes no setting split for home health aides alone; these rows are for the whole occupation.
Most non-medical home care agencies are classified in services for the elderly and persons with disabilities; Medicare-certified home health agencies are in home health care services.
| Employer industry | Median | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home health care services | $36,230 | $17.42 | 1,079,060 |
| Services for the elderly and persons with disabilities | $34,810 | $16.73 | 2,274,140 |
| Assisted living and continuing care retirement communities | $37,060 | $17.82 | 265,100 |
| Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing) | $36,850 | $17.72 | 55,500 |
| Hospitals | $40,320 | $19.38 | 28,830 |
Selected senior care and health care industries only; the national figure above covers every industry.
BLS projects employment of home health and personal care aides combined to grow from about 4,677,100 in 2025 to 5,524,400 in 2035 (BLS Employment Projections 2025–35).
BLS projects no separate figure for home health aides.
The projection counts include the self-employed and come from a different BLS program, so they are not directly comparable with the OEWS payroll job count above.
BLS publishes wages by occupation, not job title.
Certified nursing assistants match a BLS occupation, nursing assistants.
Caregivers, personal care aides and home health aides are counted in home health and personal care aides, which BLS publishes as one combined group, and home health and hospice nurses in registered nurses.
The other titles borrow the closest available occupation, labelled in the last column.
Compare figures with the same basis only.
| Role | Median shown | What the number is |
|---|---|---|
| Caregiver | $35,800 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 31-1120) |
| Certified Nursing Assistant | $42,260 | BLS occupation (SOC 31-1131) |
| Personal Care Aide | $35,800 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 31-1120) |
| Companion Caregiver | $35,800 | Closest available occupation (SOC 31-1120) |
| Live-In Caregiver | $35,800 | Closest available occupation (SOC 31-1120) |
| Private Caregiver | $35,800 | Closest available occupation (SOC 31-1120) |
| Respite Caregiver | $35,800 | Closest available occupation (SOC 31-1120) |
| Memory Care Caregiver | $35,800 | Closest available occupation (SOC 31-1120) |
| Home Health Aide | $35,800 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 31-1120) |
| Hospice Aide | $35,800 | Closest available occupation (SOC 31-1120) |
| Medication Aide | $42,260 | Closest available occupation (SOC 31-1131) |
| Resident Care Aide | $35,800 | Closest available occupation (SOC 31-1120) |
| Home Health Nurse | $97,550 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 29-1141) |
| Hospice Nurse | $97,550 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 29-1141) |
| Hospice Social Worker | $67,880 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 21-1022) |
| Hospice Chaplain | $60,810 | Closest available occupation (weak match) (SOC 21-2011) |
| Director of Nursing | $123,860 | Closest available occupation (SOC 11-9111) |
| Home Care Scheduler | $45,930 | Closest available occupation (weak match) (SOC 43-6013) |
| Care Coordinator | $45,930 | Closest available occupation (weak match) (SOC 21-1093) |
| Home Care Administrator | $123,860 | Closest available occupation (SOC 11-9111) |
| Home Health Administrator | $123,860 | Closest available occupation (SOC 11-9111) |
| Assisted Living Administrator | $123,860 | Closest available occupation (SOC 11-9111) |
| Nursing Home Administrator | $123,860 | Closest available occupation (SOC 11-9111) |
| Activities Director | $36,560 | Closest available occupation (weak match) (SOC 39-9032) |
| Memory Care Director | $123,860 | Closest available occupation (SOC 11-9111) |
BLS publishes no separate wage for home health aides.
The median annual wage for home health and personal care aides combined (SOC 31-1120), the broader group BLS publishes, was $35,800 in May 2025 (BLS OEWS).
The 10th percentile was $27,040 and the 90th percentile $45,040.
The median hourly wage for home health and personal care aides combined was $17.21 in May 2025.
BLS converts between hourly and annual figures at 2,080 hours a year, so this is the same median per hour, before overtime or bonuses.
For home health and personal care aides combined, Washington had the highest median in May 2025 at $47,730.
Louisiana had the lowest at $22,520.
These are not adjusted for living costs; the caregiver salary page lists every state BLS published.
The mean (average) annual wage for home health and personal care aides combined was $36,120 in May 2025, against a $35,800 median.
The median is the better guide to a typical salary, because a smaller number of high earners pull the average up.
BLS projects employment of home health and personal care aides combined to grow 18.1% from 2025 to 2035, from about 4,677,100 to 5,524,400 jobs, with about 760,500 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections 2025–35).
Those projection counts include the self-employed and come from a different BLS program, so they are not directly comparable with the OEWS payroll job count on this page.
No. BLS publishes home health aides and personal care aides only as one combined occupation (SOC 31-1120), with no separate wage for either.
Every figure on this page is for that combined group.
Slightly, on the BLS figures.
Home health and personal care aides employed in home health care services had a median of $17.42 an hour in May 2025, against $16.73 in services for the elderly and persons with disabilities, the industry where most non-medical home care agencies are classified (BLS OEWS industry estimates).