Home Health and Personal Care Aides Salary in Chicago, IL (2024)
Home Health and Personal Care Aides in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn a median of $36,340 per year ($17.47 per hour) based on 94,530 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +4.1% against the national median of $34,900 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where home health and personal care aides actually sit across the pay range in Chicago, IL, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $15.97 | $33,210 | |
| 25th percentile | $17.14 | $35,660 | |
| Median | $17.47 | $36,340 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $17.92 | $37,280 | |
| 90th percentile | $20.02 | $41,640 | |
| Average (mean) | $17.79 | $37,010 |
How Chicago, IL compares
The local median of $36,340 runs +4.1% above the US median of $34,900 for this occupation; it pays 29.5% less than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($51,510); within the metro it ranks 649th of 700 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL — this occupation | $36,340 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $34,900 | +4.1% |
| Chicago, IL — all occupations | $51,510 | -29.5% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $46,690 | -22.2% |
A location quotient of 0.82 sits slightly below the national average, meaning the occupation accounts for a smaller share of local employment than it does across the US.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.7%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 649th of 700 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Chicago, IL
To put $36,340 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 649th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $234,440 | 1,420 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $221,790 | 80 |
| Physicians, All Other | $215,680 | 14,850 |
| Pediatricians, General | $198,440 | 1,120 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $184,930 | 840 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $182,830 | 1,200 |
| Dentists, General | $175,140 | 3,980 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $168,230 | 21,760 |
| Lawyers | $166,090 | 28,380 |
| Financial Managers | $164,470 | 41,170 |
Where home health and personal care aides earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $22,820 to $46,690. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $46,690 | 53,140 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $44,320 | 22,190 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $39,790 | 63,880 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $37,990 | 605,590 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $37,790 | 23,790 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $37,260 | 40,900 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $36,700 | 22,820 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $36,480 | 53,750 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $36,340 | 94,530 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $36,150 | 86,260 |
See the full national picture on the Home Health and Personal Care Aides salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for home health and personal care aides in Chicago, IL?
The median annual wage is $36,340, or $17 per hour. That means half of the home health and personal care aides working in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $37,010.
What do the highest and lowest paid home health and personal care aides in Chicago, IL earn?
The bottom 10% earn $33,210 or less, while the top 10% earn $41,640 or more — a spread of $8,430 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $35,660 and $37,280.
Is home health and personal care aides pay in Chicago, IL above the local average?
Yes, it is 29.5% below the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $51,510. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Chicago, IL pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $36,340 the metro median is 4.1% higher than the US median of $34,900 for home health and personal care aides. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $22,820 to $46,690.
How many home health and personal care aides work in Chicago, IL?
BLS counts about 94,530 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 21.13 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. A location quotient of 0.82 sits slightly below the national average, meaning the occupation accounts for a smaller share of local employment than it does across the US.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 2.6%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.