Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between home health aids 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 $27,249 average annual salary of a home health aid.
The top three skills for a home health aid include home health, patients and companionship. The most important skills for a personal care worker are patients, home health, and good communication.
| Home Health Aid | Personal Care Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $27,249 | $29,490 |
| Hourly rate | $13.10 | $14.18 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 248,490 | 129,522 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.29 | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 50 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Home health aides provide care and assistance to patients who have chronic illnesses, injuries, disabilities, or age-related challenges inside the patient's home. They monitor the patient's condition and help them in any activity they may need assistance in. They provide support to both the patient and the family to manage the patient's condition. Home health aides care for the patient by providing personal services like bathing and basic grooming, designing nutritional plans, cooking and preparing meals, running errands, maintaining the cleanliness of the home, managing medication intake, and ensuring the home is safe and secure for the patient.
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.
Home health aids and personal care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Home Health Aid | Personal Care Worker | |
| Average salary | $27,249 | $29,490 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $36,000 | Between $22,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Reading, MA | Lynn, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | Tyson Foods |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Professional |
There are a few differences between a home health aid and a personal care worker in terms of educational background:
| Home Health Aid | Personal Care Worker | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between home health aids' and personal care workers' demographics:
| Home Health Aid | Personal Care Worker | |
| Average age | 50 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4% | Male, 16.4% Female, 83.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 24.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 35.6% 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 | 5% | 7% |