Personal Care Aides
Human ServicesO*NET 31-1122.00United States
Provide personalized assistance to individuals with disabilities or illness who require help with personal care and activities of daily living support (e. g.
- Median annual earnings
- $35,604
- Projected change
- +21.2%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 4.94M jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
65.3% of the workforce
Growing to 5.99M by 2035
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What personal care aides do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance.
- Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor.
- Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists.
- Instruct or advise clients on issues, such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care.
- Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services.
- Care for individuals or families during periods of incapacitation, family disruption, or convalescence, providing companionship, personal care, or help in adjusting to new lifestyles.
- Perform housekeeping duties, such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes or dishes, or running errands.
- Provide clients with communication assistance, typing their correspondence or obtaining information for them.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $26,473
- 25th percentile
- $31,479
- 50th percentile
- $35,604
- 75th percentile
- $39,664
- 90th percentile
- $46,122
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $35,604 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+21.2%much faster than average
20254,942,854 jobs
2035 projected5,991,172 jobs
1,048,318 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 65.3%
- Associate degree
- 22.5%
- Certificate
- 6.2%
- Some college
- 6%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Caregivers73,239 postings
- 02Registered Behavior Technicians34,464 postings
- 03Behavior Technicians26,431 postings
- 04In-Home Caregivers21,669 postings
- 05Personal Care Aides6,693 postings
- 06Personal Care Attendants4,152 postings
- 07Personal Care Assistants3,682 postings
- 08Direct Care Workers3,641 postings
- 09Companion Caregivers3,208 postings
- 10Overnight Caregivers3,046 postings
- 11Experienced Auditors2,793 postings
- 12Live-in Caregivers2,654 postings
- 13Caregivers/Home Care Aides2,652 postings
- 14Certified Caregivers2,407 postings
- 15Caregivers/Home Health Aides2,294 postings
- 16Behavioral Technicians2,239 postings
- 17Caregivers/Patient Care Assistants2,115 postings
- 18Direct Care Staff1,955 postings
- 19Assisted Living Caregivers1,759 postings
- 20ABA Behavioral Technicians1,734 postings
Top employers
- 01Cornerstone Caregiving5,519 postings
- 02Addus HomeCare4,185 postings
- 03Sevita3,908 postings
- 04Visiting Angels3,649 postings
- 05Home Instead3,635 postings
- 06AccentCare3,523 postings
- 07Amergis3,493 postings
- 08Right At Home2,820 postings
- 09SYNERGY HomeCare2,776 postings
- 10Arcadia Home Care & Staffing2,653 postings
- 11Elara Caring2,553 postings
- 12Synergy Homecare Franchising2,522 postings
- 13ABS Kids2,337 postings
- 14Ambercare2,138 postings
- 15Comfort Keepers2,103 postings
- 16Brookdale Senior Living2,023 postings
- 17Centria Healthcare1,911 postings
- 18Optum1,696 postings
- 19UnitedHealth Group1,442 postings
- 20Proud Moments1,340 postings
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