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 Washington by metro area
Last verified October 17, 2026 · All Washington resources
Home health and personal care aides in Washington earned a mean of $23.18 an hour and a median of $22.95 in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is $5.82 above the national mean of $17.36. About 103,260 aides worked in Washington.
What is the pay range for caregivers in Washington?
| Measure | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $19.29 | $13.00 |
| Median | $22.95 | $17.21 |
| Mean | $23.18 | $17.36 |
| 90th percentile | $26.43 | $21.65 |
| Aides employed | 103,260 | 4,305,810 |
How much do caregivers make in Washington's largest metro areas?
| Metro area | Mean hourly | Aides employed |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $23.80 | 54,670 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $22.61 | 10,580 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $22.68 | 4,800 |
| Yakima, WA | $21.22 | 4,770 |
Metro areas that cross state lines report figures for the whole metro.
How should an agency in Washington 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. Washington's minimum wage is $17.13 an hour, rising to $17.73 on January 1, 2027; see Washington 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 Washington
Caregiver pay by state: other states
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