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What is a personal support worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a personal support worker. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.93 an hour? That's $37,301 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 36% and produce 1,185,800 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScorePersonal Support WorkerUS Average
Salary
2.9

Avg. Salary $37,301

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.0

Growth rate 36%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.10%

Asian 8.33%

Black or African American 9.16%

Hispanic or Latino 16.01%

Unknown 4.28%

White 61.12%

Gender

female 71.29%

male 28.71%

Age - 50
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50
Stress level
8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
9.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Personal support worker career paths

Key steps to become a personal support worker

  1. Explore personal support worker education requirements

    Most common personal support worker degrees

    Bachelor's

    46.3 %

    Associate

    17.3 %

    High School Diploma

    16.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific personal support worker skills

    SkillsPercentages
    CPR15.32%
    Meal Preparation15.26%
    Home Health15.24%
    Developmental Disabilities10.60%
    Direct Care7.65%
  3. Research personal support worker duties and responsibilities

    • Assist patient in performing ADL's daily.
    • Perform first aid or CPR when need.
    • SKIP, CPR, Defibulator and CDL certify.
    • Provide assistance for patients with alzheimer's and dementia in their home.
  4. Prepare your personal support worker resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your personal support worker resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a personal support worker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable personal support worker resume templates

    Build a professional personal support worker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your personal support worker resume.
    Personal Support Worker Resume
    Personal Support Worker Resume
    Personal Support Worker Resume
    Personal Support Worker Resume
    Personal Support Worker Resume
    Personal Support Worker Resume
    Personal Support Worker Resume
    Personal Support Worker Resume
    Personal Support Worker Resume
  5. Apply for personal support worker jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a personal support worker job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first personal support worker job

Zippi

Are you a personal support worker?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average personal support worker salary

The average personal support worker salary in the United States is $37,301 per year or $18 per hour. Personal support worker salaries range between $25,000 and $54,000 per year.

Average personal support worker salary
$37,301 Yearly
$17.93 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do personal support workers rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Personal support worker reviews

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Observing clients master new skills and interacting with client on daily.Providing new challenges and goals specific to client abilities.

Cons

Family members disregard for clients Rights and only seem to want clients funds.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Learning how they’ve experience life good and bad but they always remained happy. How you can do anything in life if you believe then you can achieve it.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Working with the patient's and enjoying helping out what they need done..


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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