Personal Care Aides
Overview
Introduction
Personal care aides help the elderly, people with disabilities, and others who need assistance with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, and housekeeping responsibilities. They work in private homes and group facilities. More than 2.2 million personal care aides are employed in the United States. Aides are also called homemakers, home care aides, caregivers, companions, and personal attendants.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Personal care aides received median annual earnings of $24,020 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Ten percent of aides earned less than $18,740, while the top 10 percent of analysts earned $31,650 or more. Aides received the highest mean annual salaries in the following states: Alaska ($33,840), North Dakota ($32,890), Vermont ($30,750), District of Columbia ($30,440), and ...
Work Environment
Most personal care aides work in the homes of clients—which may be clean, modern, and pleasant or untidy and somewhat depressing. Others work in hospice facilities, small group homes, or larger care communities.
Personal care aides may have to travel to take their patients to medical and dental appointments, for grocery shopping and banking trips, and on other errands. Some aides help pe...
Outlook
Employment opportunities for personal care aides will be excellent through 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), growing much faster than the average for all careers. The increasing number of senior citizens will create strong demand for aides. The Administration on Aging reports that in 2000, the senior population (those 65 and over) was approximately 35 million. It predicts t...
