Personal care aide wages stall, drop in most states, study finds [MAP]
See how hourly pay differs from state to state in the map below.
Personal care aides for the most part care for the elderly, either at their homes or in nursing facilities, attending to personal needs.
While median wages for personal care aides were mostly flat in 2013, the hourly pay these healthcare workers earn varies widely when comparing state to state.
At the bottom, personal care aides make around $8.44 an hour in Mississippi, while North Dakota pays the highest at $13.42 an hour, according to a recent report by advocacy organization PHI. The study analyzed personal care aide wages from 2003 to 2013 in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. using data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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While North Dakota’s wages show a bright spot in the data, wages for the most part are low. In fact, more than 90 percent of the states paid wages less than 200 percent of the federal poverty line, a level that qualifies these workers for a host of state and federal assistance programs.
While the national median wage did rise about 22 percent between 2003 and 2013, from $7.91 to $9.67 an hour, when adjusted for inflation, most states saw pay drop, the study found.
In fact, only 13 states recorded growth in personal care aide wages over the 10 year period.
Personal care aides for the most part care for the elderly, either at their homes or in nursing facilities, attending to personal needs. Many also care for the disabled.
According to the labor department, 1.2 million people were working as personal care aides in 2012, and that number could surge.
A December analysis of Department of Labor data by Vox.com found that these aide positions are the fastest growing jobs in several states, including New Mexico, Hawaii, Arkansas and Minnesota.
Full report:
