Adult caregivers work primarily with elderly and disabled clients.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the high cost of nursing home or inpatient health care has created a demand for adult caregivers who can assist patients with the activities of daily living at home, such as grocery shopping or housecleaning. Adult caregivers -- also known as companions or personal attendants -- can find employment through social service agencies or may be hired directly by a patient's family.
Features
As of May 2010, the 686,030 personal care aides working in the U.S. earned a mean annual wage of $20,420, according to the bureau's Occupational Employment Statistics survey. Salaries ranged from $15,970 at the bottom 10th percentile of earners to $25,900 or more for the top 10 percent. The median wage for personal care aides was $19,640. The bureau calculates median annual wages by multiplying the median hourly wage of $9.82 by 2,080 hours -- the average amount of time worked in a year by a full-time employee.
Industries
Individual and family services employed the greatest number of adult caregivers, with an average annual salary of $20,650. Home care services had the second-highest number of adult caregivers, where the average was $19,020 a year. The highest-paying industry sectors for adult caregivers were psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, at $30,960 per year on average, and state governments, at $29,250 per year.
Locations
Texas and New York were the states that boasted the highest employment levels for adult caregivers as of May 2010. There, they earned mean annual wages of $17,390 and $21,250, respectively. Alaska and New Jersey were the states that paid the highest mean annual wages to adult caregivers -- $29,690 and $26,470, respectively. The highest-paying metropolitan area for adult caregivers was Vineland, New Jersey, at $39,420 per year, followed by Fairbanks, Alaska, at $33,280.
Considerations
Employment for personal and home care aides is expected to grow by 46 percent through the year 2018, according to the bureau. Job growth will be spurred largely by an aging population's need for health care services. Because adult care workers earn relatively low wages and the work is demanding, there can be a high job turnover. As a result, those who wish to work in the occupation can easily find employment. The bureau notes that personal care aides are not paid for travel time between jobs, but usually receive pay increases as they gain experience.
Tags: adult caregivers, care aides, annual wages, mean annual, personal care
