Home Health and Personal Care Aides Salary
In Salem, OR, home health and personal care aides earn $45,200 at the median, or about $21.73 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $48K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.65), that's roughly $43,608 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,560/month, about 50% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $45K get you in Salem?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Salem’s Regional Price Parity (103.65). 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 Salem
Salem sits well above the national pay line for home health and personal care aides, local pay runs about 26% higher than the U.S. median of $36K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,560/month, which is 53.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.65) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for home health and personal care aides in metros near Salem, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | $46K | $43K |
| Grants Pass | $53K | $54K |
| Eugene-Springfield | $41K | $40K |
| Medford | $45K | $44K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Salem, OR
Entry-level home health and personal care aides (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $45K. Top earners bring in $48K 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)
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Frequently asked questions
Can a home health and personal care aide afford a 2BR apartment alone in Salem?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $45K, rent takes 53.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,560/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/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 Salem?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new home health and personal care aides typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,239/month. At HUD’s $1,560/month FMR, rent would take 70% 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 Salem?
Local pay is 26% above the national median — $45K here vs. $36K nationally.
How does Salem compare to the national average for home health and personal care aides?
Salem pays $45K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s +26%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.65), the purchasing-power equivalent is $44K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do home health and personal care aides make in Salem, OR?
The median is $45,200 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,320, and experienced home health and personal care aides can clear $48,340. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $45K enough to live in Salem?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,911/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,560/month, which eats 53.6% 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 Salem?
Salem has a Regional Price Parity of 103.65 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median home health and personal care aides salary is worth about $43,608 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.