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The differences between family caregivers and personal care assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a family caregiver has an average salary of $32,827, which is higher than the $26,643 average annual salary of a personal care assistant.
The top three skills for a family caregiver include meal preparation, companionship and in-home care. The most important skills for a personal care assistant are patients, CPR, and home health.
| Family Caregiver | Personal Care Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,827 | $26,643 |
| Hourly rate | $15.78 | $12.81 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 126,188 | 256,869 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.67 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | High School Diploma, 31% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Family caregivers mainly provide care to families operating as health care system extensions. The caregivers perform complicated therapeutic and medical tasks and ensure recipients' compliance with their therapeutic regimens. They serve as home-based coordinators of care and personal care recipient advocates. It is their job to assess the needs of the families. They also prepare a care plan, help with housekeeping, provide companionship, monitor medications, and prepare meals.
Personal care assistants are employed to help individuals who may need special attention or assistance. They are usually trained to care for individuals with specific conditions, whether physically or mentally. Personal care assistants manage their meal plans, medicine intake, daily schedule, and therapy, among others. They help their clients move, eat, bathe, and dress. They also run errands and provide any other assistance that their clients may need. Personal care assistants also provide emotional and moral support to their clients. They are also in touch with medical professionals and provide updates on the health of their clients.
Family caregivers and personal care assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Family Caregiver | Personal Care Assistant | |
| Average salary | $32,827 | $26,643 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $46,000 | Between $18,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a family caregiver and a personal care assistant in terms of educational background:
| Family Caregiver | Personal Care Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | High School Diploma, 31% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between family caregivers' and personal care assistants' demographics:
| Family Caregiver | Personal Care Assistant | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% | Male, 15.0% Female, 85.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 8.6% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |