What caregivers earn in California and Arizona: BLS, IHSS and minimum wage (2026)

Median hourly pay by metro area (BLS, May 2025)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme surveys employers (agencies, IHSS payroll, facilities) and publishes employment and wages for "Home Health and Personal Care Aides" (SOC 31-1120). The May 2025 release is the current one. These figures describe employed aides; they do not include independent caregivers paid directly by families.

Two things stand out. Most California metros sit at exactly $16.50, which is a few cents above the 2025 state minimum wage, because so much of this workforce is paid at or near the floor (IHSS, agency aides). And El Centro is unusual: with 8,020 aide jobs in a county of about 186,000 people, home care is about 123 of every 1,000 jobs there, a concentration more than four times the national average.

IHSS provider wages by county (2026)

In-Home Supportive Services wages are negotiated county by county and published by the California Department of Social Services. Rates effective in 2026 for the counties covered on this site:

IHSS hours are authorised per recipient by the county, so the wage applies only to assessed hours. Arizona has no IHSS; the comparable programme is the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS), under which agencies employ direct care workers and, since October 2025, a spouse may be paid as a caregiver for up to 40 hours in a seven-day period.

Minimum wages that set the floor

• California: $16.90 per hour for all employers from January 1, 2026 (Department of Industrial Relations). Personal attendants in private homes are covered by Wage Order 15 and the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, which adds overtime at 1.5× after nine hours in a day or 45 hours in a week.
• Arizona: $15.15 per hour from January 1, 2026 (Industrial Commission of Arizona).

Any site quoting an "average" caregiver rate below these figures is averaging stale or out-of-state data.

How private rates relate to these numbers

When a family hires a caregiver directly there is no agency margin, so the same family budget can pay the caregiver more per hour than an agency would. Public data gives you the floor (minimum wage), the employed median (BLS) and the IHSS rate; the rate on a private arrangement is whatever the two of you agree, and it should reflect the tasks (personal care and dementia care command more than companionship), the schedule (overnights, weekends, short shifts), your experience and certifications, and whether you drive the client.

On CaregiverConnect, families state what they are offering in each posting and caregivers set an hourly rate on their profile, so both sides see the other's number before anyone applies. Remember that a directly employed caregiver is normally a household employee for tax purposes (IRS Topic 756), which affects the net figure for both parties.

Sources

1. BLS OEWS May 2025, occupation 31-1120 Home Health and Personal Care Aides (national and by area)
2. BLS OEWS May 2025, El Centro, CA metropolitan area
3. CDSS, IHSS wages by county
4. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ
5. California DIR, Domestic Worker Bill of Rights
6. Industrial Commission of Arizona, minimum wage
7. AHCCCS, Arizona Long Term Care System and AMPM Policy 1240-A (spouse attendant care)
8. IRS Topic 756, Employment taxes for household employees