Workforce
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.
Caregiver pay in California by metro area
Last verified October 17, 2026 · All California resources
Home health and personal care aides in California earned a mean of $17.51 an hour and a median of $16.50 in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is $0.15 above the national mean of $17.36. About 970,150 aides worked in California.
What is the pay range for caregivers in California?
| Measure | California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $16.50 | $13.00 |
| Median | $16.50 | $17.21 |
| Mean | $17.51 | $17.36 |
| 90th percentile | $18.87 | $21.65 |
| Aides employed | 970,150 | 4,305,810 |
How much do caregivers make in California's largest metro areas?
| Metro area | Mean hourly | Aides employed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $17.25 | 385,530 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $18.66 | 119,120 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $17.03 | 102,760 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $17.20 | 60,350 |
Metro areas that cross state lines report figures for the whole metro.
How should an agency in California use these numbers?
Treat the mean as the going rate you compete with for applicants, and the 90th percentile as the wage that wins them. California's minimum wage is $16.90 an hour, rising to $17.40 on January 1, 2027; see California overtime and minimum wage rules. Then build the wage into your price with the bill rate calculator, which adds payroll burden, overhead and margin.
Sources
More for California
Caregiver pay by state: other states
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