TED: The Economics Daily

In 2023, women accounted for 87 percent of all home health aides and 80 percent of personal care aides. Workers in these two occupations assist people with activities of daily living (such as feeding or bathing), though home health aides generally focus more on their patients’ health and safety, while personal care aides often assist with other tasks (such as errands and housekeeping). Across all occupations, 47 percent of workers were women.

Home health aides and personal care aides were more likely to be Black or African American (30 percent and 25 percent, respectively) than were workers overall (13 percent). Forty-two percent of home health aides and 27 percent of personal care aides were foreign born, higher than the average of 19 percent for workers overall. Workers in these two occupations were also more likely to be age 55 or older—39 percent of home health aides and 34 percent of personal care aides—than the average for the nation (23 percent).

In May 2023, 60 out of every 1,000 jobs in New York were in the home health and personal care aide occupation, much higher than the national average of 24 out of every 1,000 jobs. Other states with high shares of home health and personal care aides were California (44 per 1,000 jobs), New Mexico (43 per 1,000 jobs), and Minnesota (39 per 1,000 jobs). By contrast, home health and personal care aides accounted for 8 out of every 1,000 jobs in Florida, South Dakota, and Utah. (These estimates do not include self-employed workers.)

Demographic data are from the Current Population Survey, and state data are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. We have more information about home health and personal care aides in our Occupational Outlook Handbook, in addition to data about industries that provide long-term care.