Home Health and Personal Care Aides Salary in California
SOC 31-1120 · California · BLS OEWS May 2025
Median Annual Salary
$34,320
$16.50/hr
4.1% lower than the US national median ($35,797)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Home Health and Personal Care Aides salary in California in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS May 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q1 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P10
P10$34K
P25$34K
P50$34K
P75$37K
P90$39K
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Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- health care job openings are running at 5.6% (JOLTS, May 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
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Merit budget: Wages in health care are rising about 4% a year (BLS ECI, Q1 2026). Budget a 3.6-4.1% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Bottom line
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $34,320 to $36,546 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The median salary for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in California is $34,320 per year ($16.50/hr). This is 4.1% lower than the national median of $35,797.
Wage Percentiles: California
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · National adjusted
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
vs National
P10Entry level
$16.50
$34,320
+26.9%
P25
$16.50
$34,320
+7.5%
P50MEDIAN
$16.50
$34,320
-4.1%
P75
$17.57
$36,546
-7.4%
P90Top earners
$18.87
$39,250
-12.8%
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P10–P90 breakdown, career outlook, industry wages, and JOLTS market signal for Home Health and Personal Care Aides
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Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+17.0%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
766K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
4.3M
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
10% from new growth90% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 2 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Individual and Family Services
NAICS 624100
2.3M
$34,900
Home Health Care Services
NAICS 621600
1.1M
$36,230
See the complete picture
Full percentile breakdown · JOLTS market signals · Geographic comparison · AI analyst briefs
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median home health and personal care aides salary in California?
The median (P50) annual salary for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in California is approximately $34,320, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 4.1% lower than the national median of $35,797. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.