Average Care Worker Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Care Worker salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Care Worker Make in United States?

A Care Worker working in United States will typically earn around 33,000 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 17,100 USD to the highest average salary of 51,800 USD.

Average Annual Salary
33,000 USD
Average Monthly Salary
2,750 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
17,100 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
1,425 USD

Highest Annual Salary
51,800 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
4,316 USD

These are average salaries for a Care Worker in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Care Worker to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Care Worker salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Care Worker Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries a Care Worker will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Care Worker can earn between 17,100 USD and 51,800 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Care Worker in United States is 32,300 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 32,300 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 32,300 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Care Worker salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 23,800 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 23,800 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 41,700 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 41,700 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Care Worker Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average care worker salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Care Worker in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 23,000 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Care Worker salary would increase to 26,600 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Care Worker, the average salary would be 37,300 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 43,400 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Care Worker with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 45,800 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Care Worker with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 49,800 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
23,000 USD
2-5 Years +23%
26,600 USD
5-10 Years +42%
37,300 USD
10-15 Years +17%
43,400 USD
15-20 Years +10%
45,800 USD
20+ Years +6%
49,800 USD

Care Worker Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Care Worker in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Care Worker in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 26,600 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Care Worker in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 36,400 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Care Worker in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 52,600 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
26,600 USD
Certificate or Diploma +40%
36,400 USD
Bachelor's Degree +42%
52,600 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Care Worker Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male care worker will earn an average of 33,500 USD, while a female care worker will earn around 35,500 USD.

This means that a male care worker earns approximately 6% less than a female care worker for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
33,500 USD
Female +6%
35,500 USD

Care Worker Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Care Worker in United States is around 10% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Care Worker in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Care Worker Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Care Worker is a low bonus based job, with 27% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

73% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3%.

Received Bonus
27%
No Bonus
73%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Care Worker

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Care Worker in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Activity Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 31,800 USD
Advice Worker Care Giving and Child Care 36,700 USD
Care Manager Care Giving and Child Care 112,700 USD
Child Care Assistant Director Care Giving and Child Care 80,500 USD
Child Care Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 128,400 USD
Child Care Teacher Care Giving and Child Care 41,900 USD
Child Development Center Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 52,300 USD
Child Development Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 134,100 USD
Child Life Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 139,100 USD
Child Protection Officer Care Giving and Child Care 44,500 USD
Child Psychotherapist Care Giving and Child Care 148,300 USD
Child Support Officer Care Giving and Child Care 39,800 USD
Clinical Care Coordinator Care Giving and Child Care 46,400 USD
Clinical Officer Care Giving and Child Care 42,400 USD
Custodian Care Giving and Child Care 59,100 USD
Day Care Director Care Giving and Child Care 152,700 USD
Elderly Care Giver Care Giving and Child Care 34,000 USD
Group Home Manager Care Giving and Child Care 160,700 USD
Kids Activity Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 31,800 USD
Live In Carer Care Giving and Child Care 36,400 USD
Nanny Care Giving and Child Care 39,000 USD
Nursery Nurse Care Giving and Child Care 43,400 USD
Nursery Teacher Care Giving and Child Care 35,100 USD
Nursing Home Administrator Care Giving and Child Care 55,100 USD
Personal Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 32,900 USD
Physical Health and Wellness Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 139,100 USD
Preschool Education Coordinator Care Giving and Child Care 62,500 USD
Primary Therapist Care Giving and Child Care 107,700 USD
Psychiatric Aide Care Giving and Child Care 43,800 USD
Rehabilitation Counselor Care Giving and Child Care 128,400 USD
Support Worker Care Giving and Child Care 30,200 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 32,300 USD
Austin 36,400 USD
Baltimore 33,000 USD
Boston 36,000 USD
Bristol 26,300 USD
Chicago 38,100 USD
Cincinnati 26,900 USD
Cleveland 27,200 USD
Dallas 36,700 USD
Denver 37,200 USD
Detroit 32,600 USD
Honolulu 25,500 USD
Houston 39,000 USD
Indianapolis 33,000 USD
Iowa City 24,800 USD
Jacksonville 36,700 USD
Kansas City 30,300 USD
Kent 29,600 USD
Las Vegas 33,000 USD
Long Beach 30,800 USD
Los Angeles 36,800 USD
Memphis 31,700 USD
Miami 31,300 USD
Minneapolis 27,300 USD
New Orleans 27,400 USD
New York 40,000 USD
Oakland 30,800 USD
Oklahoma City 35,100 USD
Orlando 27,300 USD
Philadelphia 36,800 USD
Phoenix 39,600 USD
Sacramento 33,300 USD
San Antonio 37,100 USD
San Diego 39,500 USD
San Francisco 33,000 USD
San Jose 36,500 USD
Seattle 35,500 USD
Tampa 27,700 USD
Vancouver 30,800 USD
Washington D.C. 33,000 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 34,400 USD
Alaska 29,900 USD
Arizona 34,400 USD
Arkansas 34,000 USD
California 35,500 USD
Colorado 35,100 USD
Connecticut 35,100 USD
Delaware 32,200 USD
District of Columbia 27,300 USD
Florida 35,600 USD
Georgia 36,700 USD
Hawaii 29,100 USD
Idaho 32,900 USD
Illinois 36,200 USD
Indiana 33,500 USD
Iowa 30,300 USD
Kansas 35,100 USD
Kentucky 31,400 USD
Louisiana 32,200 USD
Maine 30,200 USD
Maryland 34,800 USD
Massachusetts 35,400 USD
Michigan 34,800 USD
Minnesota 36,600 USD
Mississippi 29,600 USD
Missouri 35,100 USD
Montana 30,600 USD
Nebraska 30,800 USD
Nevada 33,200 USD
New Hampshire 31,800 USD
New Jersey 35,300 USD
New Mexico 32,200 USD
New York 36,700 USD
North Carolina 34,000 USD
North Dakota 27,700 USD
Ohio 35,200 USD
Oklahoma 35,100 USD
Oregon 32,600 USD
Pennsylvania 35,200 USD
Rhode Island 29,600 USD
South Carolina 32,300 USD
South Dakota 29,100 USD
Tennessee 34,900 USD
Texas 35,300 USD
Utah 30,600 USD
Vermont 29,100 USD
Virginia 35,300 USD
Washington 33,800 USD
West Virginia 31,400 USD
Wisconsin 35,000 USD
Wyoming 29,600 USD

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