Intelligence / Caregiver Pay / California
Caregiver Pay in California
What caregivers earn in California — the typical wage, the realistic pay bands, and how the state's metros compare.
Headline numbers
Typical hourly pay
$16.50/hras of May 2025
the median caregiver wage in California
vs the national market
-4.1%as of May 2025
below the national typical wage of $17.21/hr
Caregivers employed
970,150as of May 2025
home health & personal care aides in California
The pay bands
Entry-level
$16.50/hr
1 in 10 earn less than this
Lower band
$16.50/hr
a quarter of caregivers earn less
Typical
$16.50/hr
the middle of the market
Upper band
$17.57/hr
a quarter of caregivers earn more
Top-of-market
$18.87/hr
1 in 10 earn more than this
Metro by metro
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $16.52/hr | $16.52/hr – $16.52/hr | 2,220 |
| Napa, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $20.92/hr | 2,900 |
| Yuba City, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 3,120 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 3,250 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $17.73/hr | 4,160 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $19.54/hr | 4,470 |
| Merced, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 4,990 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 5,000 |
| Redding, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 5,500 |
| Chico, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $17.08/hr | 5,940 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $18.00/hr | 6,470 |
| Salinas, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 6,740 |
| Vallejo, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $18.14/hr | 7,850 |
| El Centro, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 8,020 |
| Visalia, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 8,220 |
| Modesto, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 9,160 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $16.74/hr | $16.74/hr – $16.79/hr | 10,140 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $17.72/hr | $17.34/hr – $18.52/hr | 10,150 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.91/hr | 12,580 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $18.96/hr | 15,250 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 17,270 |
| Fresno, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.50/hr | 33,580 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $18.09/hr | $18.08/hr – $18.58/hr | 49,610 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $16.97/hr | $16.80/hr – $17.89/hr | 57,080 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.84/hr | 60,350 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $16.73/hr | 102,760 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $17.28/hr | $17.28/hr – $18.65/hr | 119,120 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $16.50/hr | $16.50/hr – $17.13/hr | 385,530 |
What California agencies are advertising right now
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
HomecareHQ analysis$21.50/hrtypical advertised payas of Sep 2026
most ads: $19.38/hr – $21.51/hr
from the 45 of 78 agency ads that disclosed pay · Aug 12 – Sep 11, 2026Benefits mentioned · % of 78 agency ads
- Flexible schedule53.8%
- Mileage46.2%
- Paid training46.2%
- 401(k)42.3%
- Weekly pay34.6%
- Dental30.8%
- Health insurance29.5%
- Vision28.2%
+5 more benefits tracked
Hiring incentives
Sign-on bonus 2.6%Referral bonus 11.5%
78 agency job ads found this window — a read on hiring demand · 22.8% of ads are part-time roles
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
HomecareHQ analysis$19.00/hrtypical advertised payas of Sep 2026
most ads: $18.25/hr – $21.50/hr
from the 33 of 60 agency ads that disclosed pay · Aug 12 – Sep 11, 2026Benefits mentioned · % of 60 agency ads
- Flexible schedule73.3%
- 401(k)43.3%
- Paid training41.7%
- Mileage33.3%
- Weekly pay33.3%
- Dental23.3%
- Health insurance23.3%
- Vision21.7%
+5 more benefits tracked
Hiring incentives
Sign-on bonus 1.7%Referral bonus 16.7%
60 agency job ads found this window — a read on hiring demand · 42.9% of ads are part-time roles
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
HomecareHQ analysis$20.00/hrtypical advertised payas of Sep 2026
most ads: $18.94/hr – $21.00/hr
from the 45 of 73 agency ads that disclosed pay · Aug 12 – Sep 11, 2026Benefits mentioned · % of 73 agency ads
- Flexible schedule58.9%
- 401(k)31.5%
- Weekly pay30.1%
- Paid training23.3%
- Dental20.5%
- Paid time off20.5%
- Mileage12.3%
- Health insurance12.3%
+5 more benefits tracked
Hiring incentives
Referral bonus 20.5%
73 agency job ads found this window — a read on hiring demand · 43.8% of ads are part-time roles
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
HomecareHQ analysis$21.50/hrtypical advertised payas of Sep 2026
most ads: $21.00/hr – $21.50/hr
from the 69 of 90 agency ads that disclosed pay · Aug 12 – Sep 11, 2026Benefits mentioned · % of 90 agency ads
- Flexible schedule86.7%
- Weekly pay72.2%
- Paid training51.1%
- Health insurance44.4%
- 401(k)35.6%
- Paid time off22.2%
- Dental21.1%
- Vision20.0%
+5 more benefits tracked
Hiring incentives
Sign-on bonus 2.2%Referral bonus 52.2%
90 agency job ads found this window — a read on hiring demand · 23.5% of ads are part-time roles
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
HomecareHQ analysis$22.00/hrtypical advertised payas of Sep 2026
most ads: $20.75/hr – $23.50/hr
from the 47 of 76 agency ads that disclosed pay · Aug 12 – Sep 11, 2026Benefits mentioned · % of 76 agency ads
- Flexible schedule57.9%
- Paid training39.5%
- 401(k)28.9%
- Health insurance27.6%
- Paid time off26.3%
- Mileage23.7%
- Weekly pay23.7%
- Dental19.7%
+5 more benefits tracked
Hiring incentives
Sign-on bonus 2.6%Referral bonus 13.2%
76 agency job ads found this window — a read on hiring demand · 22.6% of ads are part-time roles
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