Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

39-9021 Personal Care Aides

Assist the elderly, convalescents, or persons with disabilities with daily living activities at the person's home or in a care facility. Duties performed at a place of residence may include keeping house (making beds, doing laundry, washing dishes) and preparing meals. May provide assistance at non-residential care facilities. May advise families, the elderly, convalescents, and persons with disabilities regarding such things as nutrition, cleanliness, and household activities.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
820,600 1.1 % $9.88 $20,560 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $7.81 $8.46 $9.49 $10.99 $12.78
Annual Wage (2) $16,240 $17,590 $19,730 $22,850 $26,590


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Individual and Family Services 349,000 27.94 $9.93 $20,650
Home Health Care Services 250,140 22.22 $9.23 $19,190
Residential Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities 50,400 8.80 $10.39 $21,610
Vocational Rehabilitation Services 38,750 11.69 $10.43 $21,690
Community Care Facilities for the Elderly 33,380 4.41 $9.82 $20,430

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Individual and Family Services 349,000 27.94 $9.93 $20,650
Home Health Care Services 250,140 22.22 $9.23 $19,190
Vocational Rehabilitation Services 38,750 11.69 $10.43 $21,690
Residential Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities 50,400 8.80 $10.39 $21,610
Social Advocacy Organizations 9,290 4.77 $10.96 $22,800

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government (OES Designation) 4,690 0.21 $14.68 $30,540
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 730 0.31 $14.39 $29,930
Other Investment Pools and Funds 260 0.66 $13.88 $28,860
Elementary and Secondary Schools 3,470 0.04 $13.03 $27,090
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 120 (7) $12.07 $25,100


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 127,560 12.38 1.94 $8.48 $17,640
New York 115,920 13.76 2.15 $10.34 $21,520
Minnesota 44,450 17.13 2.68 $11.14 $23,160
California 44,180 3.15 0.49 $10.58 $22,000
Pennsylvania 34,160 6.16 0.96 $10.20 $21,210




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Mexico 18,120 23.30 3.64 $9.23 $19,200
Vermont 6,750 23.20 3.63 $10.74 $22,330
Minnesota 44,450 17.13 2.68 $11.14 $23,160
New York 115,920 13.76 2.15 $10.34 $21,520
Texas 127,560 12.38 1.94 $8.48 $17,640




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 3,870 12.37 1.93 $13.83 $28,770
New Jersey 11,480 3.05 0.48 $12.60 $26,200
Massachusetts 18,730 5.93 0.93 $12.58 $26,160
North Dakota 1,950 5.25 0.82 $12.33 $25,650
District of Columbia 1,220 1.88 0.29 $11.85 $24,650





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 82,090 16.22 2.54 $10.25 $21,320
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 31,330 18.31 2.86 $11.35 $23,620
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 20,880 8.18 1.28 $8.31 $17,280
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 15,400 68.51 10.71 $8.19 $17,040
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 13,760 3.84 0.60 $10.73 $22,310
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 12,780 6.25 0.98 $9.02 $18,760
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 12,500 7.36 1.15 $10.86 $22,590
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 10,810 8.94 1.40 $11.51 $23,950
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 10,280 12.88 2.01 $9.61 $19,980
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 9,990 11.83 1.85 $8.36 $17,390




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 9,890 79.45 12.42 $8.24 $17,150
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 15,400 68.51 10.71 $8.19 $17,040
Laredo, TX 5,460 62.81 9.82 $8.14 $16,940
Corpus Christi, TX 6,710 38.22 5.97 $9.26 $19,250
Santa Fe, NM 2,100 35.20 5.50 $10.22 $21,260
Las Cruces, NM 1,810 27.31 4.27 $9.29 $19,320
El Centro, CA 1,190 24.05 3.76 $9.07 $18,870
St. Cloud, MN 2,270 23.95 3.74 $11.15 $23,180
Texarkana-Texarkana, TX-AR 1,270 23.78 3.72 $8.16 $16,970
Tyler, TX 2,010 22.33 3.49 $8.33 $17,330




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Fairbanks, AK (8) (8) (8) $16.01 $33,310
Ocean City, NJ 660 18.26 2.85 $14.52 $30,210
Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division 1,450 2.60 0.41 $14.06 $29,250
Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, MA-NH NECTA Division 400 5.23 0.82 $13.91 $28,930
Anchorage, AK 2,710 16.11 2.52 $13.30 $27,660
Springfield, MA-CT 2,770 9.68 1.51 $13.12 $27,290
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 9,130 5.45 0.85 $12.98 $27,000
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 2,300 5.62 0.88 $12.84 $26,700
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA 470 2.81 0.44 $12.72 $26,460
Grand Forks, ND-MN 130 2.65 0.41 $12.58 $26,160

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Texas nonmetropolitan area 4,970 58.59 9.16 $8.74 $18,180
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 4,480 11.78 1.84 $9.48 $19,710
Gulf Coast Texas nonmetropolitan area 3,590 29.48 4.61 $8.13 $16,900
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area 3,460 22.09 3.45 $8.35 $17,370
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area 3,400 12.27 1.92 $8.20 $17,060

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Texas nonmetropolitan area 4,970 58.59 9.16 $8.74 $18,180
North and West Central New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 3,160 49.57 7.75 $9.27 $19,290
Gulf Coast Texas nonmetropolitan area 3,590 29.48 4.61 $8.13 $16,900
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 2,930 23.68 3.70 $8.54 $17,760
Eastern Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 610 23.47 3.67 $11.43 $23,770

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 410 11.59 1.81 $16.32 $33,950
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 450 6.33 0.99 $14.13 $29,380
Far Western North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 190 4.07 0.64 $13.46 $28,000
Northwestern Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 260 7.52 1.17 $13.30 $27,670
West Central North Dakota nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $12.47 $25,950


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012