Home Health and Personal Care Aides salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Massachusetts tax rules.
The figures
The median Home Health and Personal Care Aides in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area earns $40,910 a year ($19.67 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earn between $39,570 and $44,370 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $36,810 or less and the top 10 percent earn $47,410 or more. BLS estimates 72,420 Home Health and Personal Care Aides jobs in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area — 26.785 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.97 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 1.7% of all Home Health and Personal Care Aides employment in the United States (4,305,810 jobs nationally). By employment, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH is the #8 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Home Health and Personal Care Aides. In aggregate, Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earn about $3.06 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,327.68 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Home Health and Personal Care Aides is about $2.49 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3.3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH stands #3 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Home Health and Personal Care Aides. By employment, Home Health and Personal Care Aides is the #1 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. Placed against the national distribution for Home Health and Personal Care Aides, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median of $40,910 falls above the national 75th percentile of $39,470. Across all occupations, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median is $66,620 a year — Home Health and Personal Care Aides pay is 38.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $20.31 | $42,240 |
| 10th percentile | $17.70 | $36,810 |
| 25th percentile | $19.02 | $39,570 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $19.67 | $40,910 |
| 75th percentile | $21.33 | $44,370 |
| 90th percentile | $22.79 | $47,410 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earn 1.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($47,410 against $36,810). The middle half spans $4,800 — from $39,570 to $44,370. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.79) is 1.29 times the 10th ($17.70). In the upper half of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $44,370 takes home $35,932.74 and the 90th percentile wage of $47,410 takes home $38,223.42 — $2,290.68 more net for $3,040 more gross. Against the median take-home of $33,325.54, the top decile keeps 1.15 times as much. The mean wage of $42,240 sits 3.3% above the median: higher-paid Home Health and Personal Care Aides pull the average up in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. Among the 30 covered occupations in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, Home Health and Personal Care Aides ranks #25 by median pay. In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH wage ladder of covered occupations, Home Health and Personal Care Aides sits between Security Guards at $44,990 and Waiters and Waitresses at $39,270. Home Health and Personal Care Aides accounts for 2.7% of all employment in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area. The average covered metro employs 91,965 Home Health and Personal Care Aides; Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH employs 0.8 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Massachusetts
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Massachusetts; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $40,910.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,729.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,536.42 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $593.20 |
| Massachusetts income tax | $1,725.50 |
| Total deductions | $7,584.46 |
| Net pay (annual) | $33,325.54 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,281.75 |
| Total deduction rate | 18.54% of gross |
At the median, $33,325.54 of the $40,910 gross is kept ($1,281.75 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 18.54%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.86% at the 10th percentile, 18.33% at the 25th percentile, 19.02% at the 75th percentile, 19.38% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $3,616.74 on a gross rise of $4,800.
The same engine at the other published points of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($36,810) | $30,236.16 | $1,162.93 | 17.86% |
| 25th percentile ($39,570) | $32,316.00 | $1,242.92 | 18.33% |
| Median ($40,910) | $33,325.54 | $1,281.75 | 18.54% |
| 75th percentile ($44,370) | $35,932.74 | $1,382.03 | 19.02% |
| 90th percentile ($47,410) | $38,223.42 | $1,470.13 | 19.38% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $30,236.16 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,223.42 at the 90th — a spread of $7,987.26 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median wage of $66,620 takes home $52,686.34 a year ($2,026.40 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.92%). The Home Health and Personal Care Aides median take-home of $33,325.54 sits $19,360.80 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH also covers parts of New Hampshire. The take-home estimate above uses Massachusetts rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Hampshire paycheck calculator.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Home Health and Personal Care Aides earns $35,800 a year ($17.21 an hour). The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median of $40,910 is $5,110 (14.3%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $42,240 a year in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH against $36,120 nationally, a gap of $6,120 (16.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Home Health and Personal Care Aides 90th percentile of $47,410 is 28% of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH all-occupations 90th percentile ($168,090), and its 10th percentile of $36,810 is 100% of the area-wide 10th ($36,760).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $40,910 | $19.67 | $42,240 |
| United States | $35,800 | $17.21 | $36,120 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
$40,910 a year ($19.67 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $42,240 a year. Ranked by median pay, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH stands #3 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $40,910 in Massachusetts?
About $33,325.54 a year ($1,281.75 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 18.54% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $44,370, take-home is $35,932.74.
How does pay in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH compare with the national median for Home Health and Personal Care Aides?
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median of $40,910 is $5,110 (14.3%) above the national median of $35,800 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $47,410, against a national 90th percentile of $45,040.
How much do the top 10% of Home Health and Personal Care Aides earn in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
$47,410 a year or more ($22.79 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
On $47,410 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,223.42 a year ($1,470.13 per biweekly paycheck) in Massachusetts under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.38%.
How many Home Health and Personal Care Aides jobs are there in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
BLS estimates 72,420 Home Health and Personal Care Aides jobs in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area — 26.785 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Home Health and Personal Care Aides jobs in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
The location quotient is 0.97 — about the same concentration as the nation. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
From $30,236.16 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($36,810) to $38,223.42 at the 90th ($47,410), under the same single-filer assumptions in Massachusetts.
What is the total wage bill for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
About $3.06 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 72,420 multiplied by the mean wage of $42,240.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.