Home Health and Personal Care Aides Salary
In South Carolina, home health and personal care aides earn $30,110 at the median, or about $14.48 an hour. The range runs from $24K at the entry level to $36K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.17), which stretches that salary to about $32,317 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,263/month, about 61.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across South Carolina. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $30K get you in South Carolina?
About home health and personal care aides
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What this looks like in South Carolina
Pay for home health and personal care aides in South Carolina runs about 16% below the U.S. median of $36K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,263/month, which is 58.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.17 (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.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, South Carolina
Entry-level home health and personal care aides (10th percentile) start around $24K. Mid-career wages sit at $30K. Top earners bring in $36K or more, a $12K spread from bottom to top.
Home Health and Personal Care Aides salary by metro in South Carolina
8 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston-North Charleston | $34K | +13% | 4,340 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal | $31K | +3% | 2,220 |
| Columbia | $30K | +0% | 7,740 |
| Spartanburg | $30K | +0% | 3,160 |
| Florence | $30K | -1% | 2,270 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | $30K | -1% | 8,190 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach | $30K | -1% | 1,920 |
| Sumter | $28K | -7% | 890 |
Compare to other states
Track home health and personal care aides salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when South Carolina numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a home health and personal care aide afford a 2BR apartment alone in South Carolina?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $30K, rent takes 58.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,263/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 South Carolina?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new home health and personal care aides typically earn — is $24K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,416/month. At HUD’s $1,263/month FMR, rent would take 89% 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 South Carolina?
Local pay runs 16% below the national median — $30K here vs. $36K nationally. Cost of living is 7% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does South Carolina compare to the national average for home health and personal care aides?
South Carolina pays $30K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s -16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.17), the purchasing-power equivalent is $32K — below the national median.
How much do home health and personal care aides make in South Carolina?
The median is $30,110 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $23,600, and experienced home health and personal care aides can clear $35,590. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $30K enough to live in South Carolina?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,156/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,263/month, which eats 58.6% 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 South Carolina?
South Carolina has a Regional Price Parity of 93.17 (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 $32,317 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.