Caregiver Salary in the USA: USD 35,800 Median
Cross-agency · employment
Quick answer
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median wage for a home health and personal care aide at USD 35,800 a year, or USD 17.21 an hour, on May 2025 data. The lowest 10 percent earned under USD 27,040 and the highest 10 percent above USD 45,040.
Every figure on this page is from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics's own published documents.
Last verified 1 source, listed below
Occupational Outlook Handbook, Home Health and Personal Care Aides1. PHGuides is independent and not affiliated with any agency.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes caregiver pay under the occupation home health and personal care aides. The median is USD 35,800 a year, or USD 17.21 an hour, on May 2025 data.
It is a government statistic rather than a jobs board average, which is why this page carries it.
The national figure
| Median annual wage | USD 35,800 |
| Median hourly wage | USD 17.21 |
| Lowest 10 percent earned less than | USD 27,040 |
| Highest 10 percent earned more than | USD 45,040 |
The gap between the two tails is USD 18,000 a year. That subtraction is arithmetic on the published figures.
The distribution is narrow. From the tenth percentile to the ninetieth is a factor of 1.67, against a factor of 2.0 for registered nurses on the same source. Caregiving in the United States pays close to the same wherever you land.
By industry
Median annual wages in May 2025, in the top industries where these aides worked.
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Residential intellectual and developmental disability facilities | USD 37,340 |
| Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living for the elderly | USD 37,060 |
| Home healthcare services | USD 36,230 |
| Individual and family services | USD 34,900 |
The spread across all four is USD 2,440 a year, about USD 200 a month. Choosing an employer type in this occupation barely moves the number.
The context BLS gives it
| Median annual wage | |
|---|---|
| All occupations | USD 50,980 |
| Aides, nursing assistants, orderlies and psychiatric aides combined | USD 37,070 |
| Home health and personal care aides | USD 35,800 |
A caregiver median sits USD 15,180 below the all-occupations median. Against a registered nurse at USD 97,550, the gap is USD 61,750, and the nurse figure is 2.7 times the caregiver one. Both are arithmetic on figures from the same source on the same date.
Why the job market is the real story
| Number of jobs, 2025 | 4,677,100 |
| Projected growth, 2025 to 2035 | 18 percent |
| Employment change, 2025 to 2035 | 847,300 |
| Growth, all occupations | 3 percent |
BLS calls 18 percent much faster than average. It is 6 times the all-occupations rate, and the occupation is already one of the largest in the United States at over 4.6 million jobs.
So the published wage is low and the demand is enormous. Those two facts sit together and both are worth knowing before deciding.
What it takes, on paper
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| On-the-job training | Short-term |
BLS describes the work as monitoring the condition of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses and helping them with daily living activities, in settings including clients’ homes, group homes and day services. Most aides work full time, part-time work is common, and hours may include evenings and weekends depending on clients’ needs.
What this page does not tell you
The Handbook page publishes no state-level figures, so none is stated here.
It also publishes nothing on state certification, on credential recognition for a caregiver trained outside the United States, or on visas and immigration. The work visa requirements guide explains why the Philippine government controls the exit documents but not the visa.
The Philippine side
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| DMW processing, direct hire | USD 100, in peso equivalent |
| DMW processing, manual OEC through a landbased agency | ₱200.00 |
| OWWA membership | USD 25 |
| Pag-IBIG | ₱600.00 |
Charging above the allowable schedule is illegal recruitment under RA 10022, carrying 12 years and 1 day to 20 years and a fine of ₱1,000,000.00 to ₱2,000,000.00.
The recruitment agencies guide covers the licence directory and the OEC guide covers the exit certificate.
Related
The caregiver salary abroad comparison puts this beside the other destinations that publish caregiver pay, the nurse salary in the USA guide covers the same country’s nursing wages from the same source, and the PEOS guide covers the free seminar to take before applying.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a caregiver earn in the United States?
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median for home health and personal care aides at USD 35,800 a year, or USD 17.21 an hour, on May 2025 data. Half earned more than that and half earned less.
- What is the range?
- The lowest 10 percent earned less than USD 27,040 a year and the highest 10 percent more than USD 45,040. That is a spread of USD 18,000 between the two ends BLS publishes.
- Which employers pay the most?
- By median annual wage in May 2025: residential intellectual and developmental disability facilities at USD 37,340, continuing care retirement communities and assisted living at USD 37,060, home healthcare services at USD 36,230, and individual and family services at USD 34,900.
- Is this a growing occupation?
- Sharply. BLS projects 18 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, which it calls much faster than average, on a base of 4,677,100 jobs in 2025 and an employment change of 847,300. The average across all occupations is 3 percent.
- How does it compare with other US work?
- It is well below. The median for all occupations was USD 50,980 in May 2025, so a caregiver median of USD 35,800 is USD 15,180 under it.
- How does it compare with nursing?
- A registered nurse median is USD 97,550 against USD 35,800 for a home health and personal care aide, on the same source and the same date. Nursing is USD 61,750 higher.
- What qualifications are needed?
- BLS lists the typical entry-level education as a high school diploma or equivalent, no work experience in a related occupation, and short-term on-the-job training. It does not publish state certification rules or anything for a caregiver trained abroad.
- Does the Philippine side still apply?
- Yes. You still need an Overseas Employment Certificate, OWWA membership and either a licensed agency or a qualifying direct hire, whatever your US immigration position is.