Home Health and Personal Care Aides Salary
In Athens-Clarke County, GA, home health and personal care aides earn $27,900 at the median, or about $13.41 an hour. The range runs from $23K at the entry level to $34K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.34), which stretches that salary to about $29,891 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,331/month, about 67.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $28K get you in Athens-Clarke County?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Athens-Clarke County’s Regional Price Parity (93.34). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About home health and personal care aides
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What this looks like in Athens-Clarke County
Pay for home health and personal care aides in Athens-Clarke County runs about 22% below the U.S. median of $36K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,331/month, which is 68.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.34 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 7% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for home health and personal care aidess.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for home health and personal care aides in metros near Athens-Clarke County, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | $30K | $30K |
| Augusta-Richmond County | $29K | $31K |
| Macon-Bibb County | $28K | $32K |
| Savannah | $30K | $32K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Athens-Clarke County, GA
Entry-level home health and personal care aides (10th percentile) start around $23K. Mid-career wages sit at $28K. Top earners bring in $34K or more, a $11K spread from bottom to top.
Home Health and Personal Care Aides pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Home Health and Personal Care Aides salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $48K | +33% | 103,260 |
| Oregon | $44K | +24% | 42,330 |
| Rhode Island | $44K | +22% | 7,490 |
| District of Columbia | $43K | +19% | 12,810 |
| Vermont | $42K | +16% | 7,700 |
| Massachusetts | $41K | +14% | 117,940 |
| Alaska | $40K | +11% | 6,530 |
| New York | $40K | +11% | 663,140 |
| North Dakota | $39K | +10% | 7,730 |
| Connecticut | $39K | +9% | 49,510 |
| New Hampshire | $39K | +8% | 9,440 |
| Maine | $39K | +8% | 18,630 |
| Colorado | $39K | +8% | 44,650 |
| Minnesota | $38K | +7% | 128,680 |
| Hawaii | $38K | +6% | 6,150 |
| Illinois | $38K | +6% | 134,100 |
| Maryland | $38K | +6% | 46,560 |
| South Dakota | $38K | +5% | 4,210 |
| New Jersey | $37K | +4% | 117,080 |
| Montana | $37K | +2% | 10,400 |
| Kentucky | $36K | +2% | 31,260 |
| Arizona | $36K | +2% | 74,540 |
| Wisconsin | $36K | +2% | 82,430 |
| Nebraska | $36K | +1% | 13,660 |
| Iowa | $36K | +1% | 25,800 |
| Utah | $36K | +0% | 17,130 |
| Indiana | $35K | -2% | 57,050 |
| Michigan | $35K | -2% | 95,020 |
| Idaho | $35K | -3% | 20,770 |
| Ohio | $34K | -4% | 106,940 |
| Delaware | $34K | -4% | 11,820 |
| California | $34K | -4% | 970,150 |
| Florida | $34K | -6% | 90,170 |
| Nevada | $34K | -6% | 17,940 |
| Wyoming | $33K | -7% | 3,410 |
| Missouri | $33K | -8% | 94,810 |
| Tennessee | $32K | -10% | 35,950 |
| Kansas | $31K | -13% | 25,350 |
| North Carolina | $31K | -13% | 58,880 |
| Virginia | $30K | -15% | 70,070 |
| South Carolina | $30K | -16% | 40,750 |
| Pennsylvania | $29K | -18% | 257,370 |
| Georgia | $29K | -18% | 50,870 |
| New Mexico | $29K | -20% | 38,910 |
| West Virginia | $28K | -22% | 18,890 |
| Alabama | $28K | -22% | 20,930 |
| Oklahoma | $28K | -23% | 20,310 |
| Arkansas | $28K | -23% | 19,840 |
| Texas | $24K | -32% | 329,590 |
| Mississippi | $24K | -33% | 21,800 |
| Louisiana | $23K | -37% | 45,060 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track home health and personal care aides salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a home health and personal care aide afford a 2BR apartment alone in Athens-Clarke County?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $28K, rent takes 68.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,331/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for home health and personal care aides in Athens-Clarke County?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new home health and personal care aides typically earn — is $23K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,397/month. At HUD’s $1,331/month FMR, rent would take 95% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is home health and personal care aide a high-paying job in Athens-Clarke County?
Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $28K here vs. $36K nationally. Cost of living is 7% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Athens-Clarke County compare to the national average for home health and personal care aides?
Athens-Clarke County pays $28K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s -22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.34), the purchasing-power equivalent is $30K — below the national median.
How much do home health and personal care aides make in Athens-Clarke County, GA?
The median is $27,900 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $23,290, and experienced home health and personal care aides can clear $34,210. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $28K enough to live in Athens-Clarke County?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,948/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,331/month, which eats 68.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a home health and personal care aides salary go in Athens-Clarke County?
Athens-Clarke County has a Regional Price Parity of 93.34 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median home health and personal care aides salary is worth about $29,891 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do home health and personal care aides get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.