Home Health and Personal Care Aides in California

The median home health and personal care aide in California earns $34,320 a year and keeps $29,401 of it — $2,450 a month.

Take-home pay, California

$29,401

from $34,320 gross · $1,131 every two weeks · 14.3% effective tax rate

Breakdown of $34,320 gross pay
Take-home$29,40185.7%
Federal income tax$1,9385.6%
Social Security & Medicare$2,6257.6%
California income tax$3551.0%
Gross pay$34,320100%

Gross median from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates, May 2025 estimates (source file). Tax computed here from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and California revenue department tables. Single filer, 2026 tax year, annual liability rather than paycheck withholding.

By filing status

Filing status changes the standard deduction and the bracket widths, so the same salary yields a different answer.

Filing statusFederal taxState taxTake-home
Single$1,938$355$29,401
Married filing jointly$212$0$31,483
Head of household$1,017$355$30,322

Every state, ranked by what you keep

Gross pay and take-home pay do not rank the same way. A state can pay less and still leave you with more.

#StateMedian salaryTake-homeTax rate
1Washington$47,730$40,53115%
2Rhode Island$43,680$36,25617%
3District of Columbia$42,700$35,09318%
4Oregon$44,410$34,81422%
5Vermont$41,600$34,64917%
6Alaska$39,740$34,11114%
7North Dakota$39,440$33,87014%
8New Hampshire$38,760$33,32414%
9Massachusetts$40,910$33,22619%
10Connecticut$38,990$32,67916%
11South Dakota$37,740$32,50414%
12New York$39,620$32,47218%
13Colorado$38,540$32,16017%
14Minnesota$38,370$31,77617%
15Maine$38,580$31,73318%
16Hawaii$38,110$31,60417%
17New Jersey$37,090$31,40115%
18Maryland$38,040$31,30218%
19Illinois$38,060$31,02218%
20Arizona$36,420$30,93515%
21Montana$36,630$30,64716%
22Wisconsin$36,340$30,56116%
23Nebraska$36,150$30,46116%
24Iowa$36,080$30,45116%
25Utah$35,880$30,36115%
26Kentucky$36,440$30,30217%
27Ohio$34,460$29,70314%
28California$34,320$29,40114%
29Indiana$35,060$29,34616%
30Florida$33,800$29,33813%
31Nevada$33,670$29,23413%
32Idaho$34,790$29,14316%
33Michigan$35,000$29,06617%
34Wyoming$33,190$28,84813%
35Delaware$34,320$28,52817%
36Missouri$33,080$28,14215%
37Tennessee$32,130$27,99613%
38North Carolina$31,240$26,54415%
39Kansas$31,260$26,33616%
40South Carolina$30,110$26,07313%
41Virginia$30,300$25,59816%
42Georgia$29,270$24,98615%
43Pennsylvania$29,420$24,91615%
44New Mexico$28,520$24,79213%
45West Virginia$28,010$24,01214%
46Arkansas$27,660$23,84914%
47Oklahoma$27,710$23,66415%
48Alabama$27,840$23,40916%
49Texas$24,230$21,56311%
50Mississippi$23,860$21,03612%
51Louisiana$22,520$19,86612%

Home Health and Personal Care Aides in California: questions

What is the average home health and personal care aides salary in California?

The median is $34,320 a year, about $16.50 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 estimates. Median means half of home health and personal care aides in California earn more and half earn less.

What is the take-home pay on $34,320 in California?

About $29,401 a year — $2,450 a month, or $1,131 every two weeks — for a single filer in the 2026 tax year, after $1,938 federal income tax, $2,625 in Social Security and Medicare, and $355 California income tax.

Do home health and personal care aides earn more in California than elsewhere?

No. At $34,320, California pays $1,560 below the $35,880 median across all states, ranking 31 of 51 on gross pay. On take-home pay after tax it ranks 28.

Where do home health and personal care aides keep the most money?

Ranked by take-home rather than gross, the best-paying states for this occupation are Washington ($40,531), Rhode Island ($36,256), District of Columbia ($35,093). Gross pay and take-home pay do not rank the same way, because state income tax varies from nothing to over 10%.

What is the effective tax rate on $34,320 in California?

14.3% of gross pay, combining federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax. The marginal rate — what you would pay on the next dollar earned — is 23.7%.


Other occupations in California

All California tax figures →