How much do home health aides make in 2026?
Home health aides are counted in the BLS home health and personal care aide series: OEWS May 2025 reports the SOC 31-1120 national median at $35,800 a year ($17.21 an hour), with the bottom 10% at about $27,040 and the top 10% at $45,040. The series pools two related jobs — the Medicare-certified home health aide, who works under a nursing plan of care, and the personal care aide, who provides non-medical support — so it does not isolate the certified role. What the pooled figure does capture accurately is the economics: most of this work is funded by state Medicaid home and community-based service programmes, whose reimbursement rates cap what agencies can pay, which is why the band is narrow and why raises tend to follow legislated rate increases rather than negotiation. Employment is projected to grow 17% through 2034 with roughly 765,800 openings a year, the largest replacement flow of any healthcare occupation. Nothing about that growth changes the rate ceiling. → Full home health aide career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $35,800 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Home Health Aides earn a national median $35,800/yr ($17.21/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 31-1120); the P10 to P90 range is $27,040 to $45,040.
- BLS pools Medicare-certified home health aides with personal care aides, so the $27,040 to $45,040 band covers both clinical and non-medical home support work.
- State Medicaid home and community-based service rates fund most of this work and effectively cap wages, which is why the band is narrow and raises follow policy rather than performance.
- Private-pay clients, live-in and overnight assignments, and specialised training in dementia, hospice support or ventilator care are the realistic routes toward the top of the range.
US Home Health Aide Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do home health aides earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 31-1120; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 31-1120, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a home health aide earn at each career stage?
Aide pay follows funding source, training and assignment type rather than a licence ladder. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 31-1120.
By State
Which states pay home health aides the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. This occupation is more exposed to state policy than almost any other in healthcare: Medicaid home and community-based service reimbursement rates, wage pass-through rules that require agencies to direct rate increases to workers, and state minimum wage levels together determine local aide pay, often more than the labour market does.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($41,170), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay home health aides the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a home health aide’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does home health aide pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Home Health Aides sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify home health aide wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a home health aide actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Home Health Aide Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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