Caregiver Pay Rates by State: How to Set a Competitive Wage
Caregivers earned a median $17.21/hour in May 2025 (BLS), from $10.83 in Louisiana to $22.95 in Washington. How to set a wage that hires and still fits your bill rate.
By Caregiver Scheduling Team ·
The national median wage for home health and personal care aides was $17.21 an hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (occupation 31-1120). State medians run from $10.83 in Louisiana to $22.95 in Washington. The gap comes from state minimum wages, Medicaid rates and local competition for entry-level workers. Set your wage from your own metro’s numbers, then check that your bill rate covers it.
How much do caregivers make per hour?
Half of all aides earn between $15.35 and $18.98 an hour. The spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between states.
| National figure, May 2025 | Hourly |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $13.00 |
| 25th percentile | $15.35 |
| Median | $17.21 |
| 75th percentile | $18.98 |
| 90th percentile | $21.65 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 31-1120. The BLS projects 18 percent job growth from 2025 to 2035 and about 760,500 openings a year, most of them replacing people who leave. That is the competition you are hiring against.
Which states pay caregivers the most and the least?
Washington, Oregon and Rhode Island lead. Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas sit at the bottom, with medians under $12.
| Highest median | May 2025 | Lowest median | May 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $22.95 | Louisiana | $10.83 |
| Oregon | $21.35 | Mississippi | $11.47 |
| Rhode Island | $21.00 | Texas | $11.65 |
| District of Columbia | $20.53 | Arkansas | $13.30 |
| Vermont | $20.00 | Oklahoma | $13.32 |
| Massachusetts | $19.67 | Alabama | $13.39 |
| Alaska | $19.11 | West Virginia | $13.47 |
| New York | $19.05 | New Mexico | $13.71 |
| North Dakota | $18.96 | Georgia | $14.07 |
| Connecticut | $18.75 | Pennsylvania | $14.14 |
Large states land in the middle: California $16.50, Florida $16.25, Illinois $18.30, Ohio $16.57. Our caregiver pay by state pages list every state’s percentiles and metro areas.
One caution: these figures are from May 2025. Minimum wages have moved since. California’s median of $16.50 is now below its $16.90 state minimum, so treat the table as a floor, not a target.
Why does caregiver pay differ so much by state?
Most of the gap is the minimum wage and the Medicaid rate. Washington’s minimum is $17.13 and Louisiana has no state minimum, so the federal $7.25 applies.
- Minimum wage. States and cities with higher minimums push the whole pay range up.
- Medicaid rates. In Medicaid-heavy markets, the state’s hourly rate caps what agencies can pay. Texas is the clearest example.
- Competition. Retail, warehouses and fast food hire the same workers. Where they pay $18, caregivers expect $18.
- Cost of living. Metro areas pay more than rural parts of the same state. Check your metro, not just your state.
Where do you find pay data for your area?
Start with the BLS metro table, then confirm it against this month’s job posts.
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| BLS OEWS, SOC 31-1120 | National, state and metro percentiles, updated each spring |
| State minimum wage list | The legal floor; check city and county minimums too |
| Medicaid rate schedules | Some states set a base wage for Medicaid-funded attendants |
| Local job posts | What competing agencies and retail employers offer right now |
How should you set your starting wage?
Pay at or above your metro’s median if you want to hire within two weeks. Pay at the 25th percentile and expect long vacancies.
- Pull the OEWS median and 75th percentile for your metro.
- Check three or four local caregiver, retail and warehouse postings.
- Set a starting wage at or above the local median.
- Add differentials for weekends, nights, live-in and higher-skill cases.
- Check the math against your bill rate. See how to calculate your bill rate. At a typical 17 percent payroll burden, a $1 raise costs $1.17 an hour. See what each caregiver hour costs.
What do caregivers value besides the hourly rate?
Hours and distance. A caregiver offered $17 for 35 reliable hours close to home will often choose that over $18 for scattered shifts across town.
- Enough hours, scheduled a week or more ahead
- Clients close to home
- Paid travel time and mileage. See travel time pay
- Weekly pay
- An office that answers the phone
A $1 raise often costs less than the turnover it prevents. See the cost of caregiver turnover.
How Caregiver Scheduling handles this
Clients are matched to caregivers on a map, which keeps the short drives caregivers care about, and every visit is GPS-verified. Timesheets that apply each caregiver’s rate to verified visit hours, with travel time and weekly overtime calculated before export to QuickBooks, are coming soon. $199/month for up to 10 caregivers or $299/month for up to 50, free for 30 days.
FAQ
How much do caregivers make per hour? The U.S. median for home health and personal care aides was $17.21 an hour in May 2025 (BLS). Half earn between $15.35 and $18.98.
Which state pays caregivers the most? Washington, with a median of $22.95 an hour in May 2025. Oregon and Rhode Island follow at $21.35 and $21.00.
Which state pays caregivers the least? Louisiana, at $10.83, then Mississippi and Texas. All three have no state minimum above the federal $7.25.
Should private-pay caregivers earn more than Medicaid caregivers? Most agencies pay one base rate and add differentials by case, so the caregiver is not penalized for the client’s payer.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Check your state’s minimum wage and Medicaid rate rules.