Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for care associates in the United States
Care associate job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected care associate job growth rate is 9% from 2018-2028.
About 137,800 new jobs for care associates are projected over the next decade.
Care associate salaries have increased 8% for care associates in the last 5 years.
There are over 106,984 care associates currently employed in the United States.
There are 192,391 active care associate job openings in the US.
The average care associate salary is $32,558.
Are care associate jobs in demand?
Yes, care associate jobs are in demand. Care associate demand is projected to grow 9% from 2018 to 2028.
Care associate job and salary trends over time
Compare the number of care associate jobs and the average care associate salary over time.
Care associate jobs over time
Care associate job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 106,984 | 0.03% |
| 2020 | 90,841 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | 100,881 | 0.03% |
| 2018 | 163,112 | 0.05% |
| 2017 | 159,657 | 0.05% |
Average care associate salary over time
Care associate salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $32,558 | $15.65 | +5.2% |
| 2024 | $30,939 | $14.87 | --4.3% |
| 2023 | $32,319 | $15.54 | +3.7% |
| 2022 | $31,164 | $14.98 | +3.5% |
| 2021 | $30,111 | $14.48 | +3.4% |
Care associate jobs by state
The map below shows you the number of care associate job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where care associates earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average salary: Job openings:
Most common states for care associates
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 793 | 59% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 687 | 51% |
| 3 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 2,722 | 49% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,995 | 44% |
| 5 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 2,802 | 42% |
| 6 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 1,224 | 39% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 394 | 37% |
| 8 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 384 | 37% |
| 9 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 647 | 36% |
| 10 | Delaware | 961,939 | 346 | 36% |
| 11 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 1,014 | 35% |
| 12 | Vermont | 623,657 | 219 | 35% |
| 13 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 3,417 | 34% |
| 14 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 257 | 34% |
| 15 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 3,365 | 33% |
| 16 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 2,476 | 33% |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,941 | 33% |
| 18 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 625 | 33% |
| 19 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 291 | 33% |
| 20 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,951 | 32% |
Most common cities for care associates
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newton | 60 | 67% | $34,380 |
| 2 | Bay City | 18 | 54% | $31,027 |
| 3 | Ardmore | 8 | 32% | $28,004 |
| 4 | Salem | 12 | 28% | $34,265 |
| 5 | Northampton | 7 | 25% | $34,612 |
| 6 | Boston | 89 | 13% | $34,345 |
| 7 | Cambridge | 10 | 9% | $34,350 |
| 8 | Springfield | 11 | 7% | $32,560 |
| 9 | Troy | 5 | 6% | $30,688 |
| 10 | Pasadena | 7 | 5% | $39,158 |
| 11 | Farmington Hills | 4 | 5% | $30,629 |
| 12 | Saint Louis | 13 | 4% | $32,871 |
| 13 | Detroit | 20 | 3% | $30,607 |
| 14 | Hollywood | 4 | 3% | $25,912 |
| 15 | OFallon | 3 | 3% | $32,935 |
| 16 | Overland Park | 3 | 2% | $30,337 |
| 17 | New York | 17 | 0% | $33,071 |
| 18 | Los Angeles | 5 | 0% | $39,216 |