According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people with the home health aide salary and job description are tasked with helping people with chronic diseases, disabilities, or cognitive impairment to go about their day to day lives. In most cases, the patients they’re helping are older or senior citizens, although children, teenagers, and younger adults are still possible options.
Since most people with the home health aide salary are lacking the higher education necessary to also diagnose or prescribe medicine, they frequently have to work in collaboration with someone certified and registered to do so. For this, in-house visits for the patients are almost always a must.
With a highly optimistic job outlook, low educational standards, and many bonus opportunities, it would seem like the only downside to the position is the home health aide salary itself. Estimated at below $22,000 in 2014, the average home health aide salary is far below the minimum wage. The main reason for this is that home health aides often have to work closely with nurses or other healthcare practitioners.
The hourly and yearly home health aides salary sorted by percentile can be found in the tables below:
| Percentile | 10% | 25% | 50% (Median) |
75% | 90% |
| Hourly Wage | $8.40 | $9.23 | $10.54 | $11.96 | $14.40 |
| Annual Wage | $17,480 | $19,190 | $21,920 | $24,870 | $29,950 |
Factors that Influence the Home Health Aide Salary
Since payscale.com estimates the home health aide salary to be anywhere between $8.22 and $14.34, we are going to take a look at the factors which can influence it the most. These are, of course, the geographic location of the place of employment, the industry to which the job belongs, and the level of experience of each employee.
In fact, the right combination of area, experience, and industry can influence the home health care aide salary by more than $30,000 – that is more than the average salary for the profession. So, let’s see what factors impact the salary of a home health aide the most.
Geographic Area
Since every city has its own economy and health care aide needs, it’s only natural for the home health aide salary to be influenced so much by the geographic area of the place of employment. And since the geographic area can influence it so much, we are only going to look at the home health aid salary in the United States.
The states offering the highest employment levels for people with the home health aide salary are as follows:
| State | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| New York | 162,240 | 18.06 | 3.03 | $11.23 | $23,370 |
| Ohio | 65,010 | 12.31 | 2.07 | $10.09 | $20,980 |
| Texas | 62,930 | 5.44 | 0.91 | $9.59 | $19,950 |
| Pennsylvania | 51,300 | 8.99 | 1.51 | $10.58 | $22,000 |
| North Carolina | 47,750 | 11.58 | 1.95 | $9.46 | $19,680 |
Meanwhile, the states offering the highest salaries for the profession are the following:
| State | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| North Dakota | 1,270 | 2.84 | 0.48 | $14.50 | $30,160 |
| Alaska | 1,960 | 5.98 | 1.00 | $14.50 | $30,160 |
| Delaware | 1,850 | 4.26 | 0.72 | $13.90 | $28,910 |
| Massachusetts | 23,520 | 6.92 | 1.16 | $13.78 | $28,670 |
| California | 31,730 | 2.05 | 0.34 | $13.26 | $27,580 |
For those interested in more vaguely distributed information, we have also compiled a series of tables of the metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in the United States with the highest salaries and levels of employment for the profession.
The metropolitan areas with the highest employment levels for individuals with the home health aide salary are as follows:
| Metropolitan area | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| New York – Jersey City – White Plains, NYC – NJ Metropolitan Division | 144,900 | 22.36 | 3.76 | $10.99 | $22,850 |
| Chicago – Naperville – Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division | 25,900 | 7.25 | 1.22 | $11.33 | $23,560 |
| Minneapolis – St. Paul – Bloomington, MN – WI | 17,000 | 9.04 | 1.52 | $12.60 | $26,210 |
| Columbus, OH | 14,900 | 14.84 | 2.49 | $10.36 | $21,560 |
| Cleveland – Elyria, OH | 14,230 | 13.95 | 2.34 | $10.22 | $21,260 |
| Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division | 13,630 | 15.49 | 2.60 | $10.28 | $21,370 |
| Phoenix – Mesa – Scottsdale, AZ | 11,010 | 5.87 | 0.99 | $11.11 | $23,110 |
| Dallas – Plano – Irving, TX Metropolitan Division | 10,710 | 4.60 | 0.77 | $11.24 | $23,370 |
| Boston – Cambridge – Newton, MA NECTA Division | 10,300 | 5.85 | 0.98 | $14.43 | $30,000 |
| Washington – Arlington – Alexandria, DC – VA – MD – WV Metropolitan Division | 9,940 | 4.11 | 0.69 | $12.39 | $25,780 |
The highest salaries for the profession can be found in the following metropolitan areas:
| Metropolitan area | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| San Rafael, CA Metropolitan Division | Not Released | Not Released | Not Released | $18.26 | $37,980 |
| Ocean City, NJ | 90 | 2.17 | 0.36 | $14.99 | $31,180 |
| Glens Falls, NY | 150 | 2.81 | 0.47 | $14.73 | $30,640 |
| Atlantic City – Hammonton, NJ | 640 | 5.02 | 0.84 | $14.60 | $30,380 |
| Wilmington, DE – MD – NJ Metropolitan Division | 1,300 | 3.81 | 0.64 | $14.43 | $30,010 |
| Lewiston – Auburn, ME | Not Released | Not Released | Not Released | $14.42 | $30,000 |
| Boston – Cambridge – Newton, MA NECTA Division | 10,300 | 5.85 | 0.98 | $14.43 | $30,000 |
| Cheyenne, WY | 40 | 0.89 | 0.15 | $14.41 | $29,960 |
| Bismarck, ND | 440 | 5.89 | 0.99 | $14.36 | $29,880 |
| Bremerton – Silverdale, WA | Not Released | Not Released | Not Released | $14.36 | $29,870 |
Meanwhile, the nonmetropolitan areas featuring the highest home health aide employment levels are:
| Nonmetropolitan area | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | 4,910 | 20.11 | 3.38 | $9.08 | $18,900 |
| Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | 4,730 | 18.94 | 3.18 | $9.27 | $19,280 |
| Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | 4,420 | 28.34 | 4.76 | $8.64 | $17,980 |
| North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) | 3,480 | 10.57 | 1.78 | $9.66 | $20,100 |
| Southern Ohio non-metropolitan area | 3,110 | 20.31 | 3.41 | $9.63 | $20,030 |
Last, but not least, the nonmetropolitan areas offering the highest wages to home care aides are:
| Nonmetropolitan area | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard nonmetropolitan area | 90 | 4.84 | 0.81 | $21.44 | $44,600 |
| Far West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | 40 | 0.51 | 0.08 | $16.32 | $33,940 |
| Central Utah nonmetropolitan area | 110 | 5.48 | 0.92 | $15.67 | $32,600 |
| Connecticut nonmetropolitan area | 110 | 3.19 | 0.54 | $14.83 | $30,840 |
| East Central North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | 490 | 12.02 | 2.02 | $14.65 | $30,480 |
Experience
Experience is a very low influencing factor when it comes to the home health aide salary. The salary doesn’t really grow at all over the first five to ten years on the job, and over the course of a career longer than twenty years it barely grows by more than $3,000. However, this doesn’t include the certified home health aide salary or the private home health aide salary.
According to payscale.com, the average starting home health aide salary is $21,000 a year. This doesn’t include bonuses, profit sharing, or any similar additional sources of income. Next, you will be able to see the estimated salary path of someone with more than twenty years in the field.
- From $21,000 to $21,000 over the first five to ten years of experience;
- From $21,000 to $22,000 over the first ten to twenty years of experience;
- From $22,000 to $24,000 over more than twenty years on the job.
Despite experience being a minor factor when it comes to the home health aide salary, most report very high levels of satisfaction with their jobs. This is owed to the many positions which open up once one has spent enough time in the profession.
Industry
Of course, the industry of the job also influences the home health aide salary by quite a lot over the course of one’s career. Below, you can find the industries which provide the highest wages, as well as the highest chances of getting employed for the profession.
The industries with the highest levels of employment for people with the home health aide salary are as follows:
| Industry | Employment | Percent of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Home Health Care Services | 385,440 | 29.67 | $10.93 | $22,740 |
| Individual and Family Services | 149,180 | 9.37 | $10.62 | $22,090 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly | 95,590 | 11.08 | $11.06 | $23,010 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities | 86,380 | 14.20 | $10.87 | $22,620 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) | 25,370 | 1.53 | $11.68 | $24,300 |
Last, but certainly not least, below you can find the industries offering the highest salaries for the occupation:
| Industry | Employment | Percent of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| State Government (OES Designation) | 7,960 | 0.36 | $13.49 | $28,050 |
| Social Advocacy Organizations | 3,050 | 1.52 | $13.06 | $27,170 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 860 | 0.04 | $12.96 | $26,950 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | Not Released | Not Released | $12.78 | $26,580 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 10,190 | 0.19 | $12.49 | $25,970 |
Work Hours
The year 2014 saw the majority of home health aides working full time. However, working part-time is still a pretty common, although increasingly rare thing. The average home health aide work week is about 45 hours long.
However, it’s also quite common for overtimes to be available for anyone willing to add an extra buck to the very low home health aide salary. Because of this, many home health aides find themselves working weekends, nights, and even holidays – either to help their wards or just to make some extra cash.
Bonuses and Benefits Packages
First of all, tips and overtimes are a great source of extra cash for anyone with the home health aide salary. Tips can be anywhere between $0 and $24.24 an hour, and overtimes can be paid with as much as $20 an hour. Bonuses and profit sharing can add anywhere between $0 and $500 to the home health aide salary.
As for the benefits packages which come with the home health aide salary and job description, most workplaces include a decent 401(K) plan, as well as a fair number of paid and sick leave days. Since the job is so poorly regarded in the healthcare community, about 77% of all employees receive no insurance whatsoever. Meanwhile, 22% receive medical, 14% receive dental, and 11% get vision insurance.
Job Outlook
According to bls.com, the employment rate of people with the home health aide salary is estimated to go up 38% by 2024. That is much faster than the average for all occupations in the United States. This is mostly owed to the constant increase of the elderly population, as well as to the constant demand for such aides.
The home health aide salary and job description are perhaps one of the most sought-after jobs in healthcare. Despite the very low salary, well below the minimum wage, the low education requirements and many job opportunities stemming from the determine many to at least consider trying out a career in the field.
All of the tables in this article about the home health aide salary in the United States are courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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