Home Health and Personal Care Aides Salary
In Tennessee, home health and personal care aides earn $32,130 at the median, or about $15.45 an hour. The range runs from $28K at the entry level to $38K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 89.78), which stretches that salary to about $35,787 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,215/month, about 52.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Tennessee. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $32K get you in Tennessee?
About home health and personal care aides
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What this looks like in Tennessee
Home health and personal care aides pay in Tennessee tracks closely to the national median, $32K locally vs. $36K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,215/month, which is 52.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 89.78 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 10% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Tennessee
Entry-level home health and personal care aides (10th percentile) start around $28K. Mid-career wages sit at $32K. Top earners bring in $38K or more, a $10K spread from bottom to top.
Home Health and Personal Care Aides salary by metro in Tennessee
10 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | $34K | +7% | 9,420 |
| Knoxville | $33K | +2% | 4,610 |
| Chattanooga | $33K | +2% | 2,560 |
| Cleveland | $32K | -2% | 540 |
| Jackson | $31K | -3% | 2,280 |
| Memphis | $31K | -4% | 7,280 |
| Clarksville | $31K | -5% | 1,270 |
| Morristown | $30K | -7% | 470 |
| Kingsport-Bristol | $30K | -7% | 1,290 |
| Johnson City | $29K | -9% | 930 |
Compare to other states
Track home health and personal care aides salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Tennessee numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a home health and personal care aide afford a 2BR apartment alone in Tennessee?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $32K, rent takes 52.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,215/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/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 Tennessee?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new home health and personal care aides typically earn — is $28K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,685/month. At HUD’s $1,215/month FMR, rent would take 72% 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 Tennessee?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $32K locally vs. $36K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Tennessee compare to the national average for home health and personal care aides?
Tennessee pays $32K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — below the national median.
How much do home health and personal care aides make in Tennessee?
The median is $32,130 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,090, and experienced home health and personal care aides can clear $38,150. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $32K enough to live in Tennessee?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,321/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,215/month, which eats 52.3% 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 Tennessee?
Tennessee has a Regional Price Parity of 89.78 (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 $35,787 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.