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The differences between child care aides and personal care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a personal care worker has an average salary of $29,490, which is higher than the $29,192 average annual salary of a child care aide.
The top three skills for a child care aide include child care, CPR and behavior management. The most important skills for a personal care worker are patients, home health, and good communication.
| Child Care Aide | Personal Care Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $29,192 | $29,490 |
| Hourly rate | $14.03 | $14.18 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 168,475 | 129,522 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 37 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A Child Care Aide is primarily in charge of children's care and personal needs. They typically work at schools, offices, and even in residential areas. Their responsibilities include meeting the parents to identify the extent of the children's needs, developing care plans, monitoring the children's behavior, and updating parents regularly. They also perform various tasks depending on the children's age and needs, such as changing diapers, dressing, preparing meals and snacks, feeding, and toilet assistance. Moreover, a Child Care Aide must ensure a safe and healthy environment for children.
A personal care worker is responsible for providing quality health care services for elders and disabled persons. Personal care workers are usually employed in a private household setting or a special healthcare institution, assisting patients with their daily activities, and monitoring their conditions. They update the patients' medical charts, administer medication from the physician's prescriptions, and manage their food intake. A personal care worker must be highly-organized, especially when attending to patients' needs, inquiries, and concerns.
Child care aides and personal care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Care Aide | Personal Care Worker | |
| Average salary | $29,192 | $29,490 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $39,000 | Between $22,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mercer Island, WA | Lynn, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs | Tyson Foods |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a child care aide and a personal care worker in terms of educational background:
| Child Care Aide | Personal Care Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | - |
Here are the differences between child care aides' and personal care workers' demographics:
| Child Care Aide | Personal Care Worker | |
| Average age | 37 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.1% Female, 85.9% | Male, 16.4% Female, 83.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.2% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 7% |