What Home Health and Personal Care Aides earn in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
The median pay for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT is $39,620 per year, which works out to $19.05 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metropolitan area, the labor market that Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $40,320, which is 1.8% above the median, so pay is spread fairly evenly. The survey counts about 19,230 people working in this occupation across the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT has roughly 175,822 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $34,700 a year ($16.68 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $44,720 or more ($21.50 an hour). That is a gap of $10,020 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $35,500 at the 25th percentile and $44,720 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.3 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $19.05 an hour or $39,620 a year at the median for Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT. Before any deductions, that is $3,302 a month, $1,524 every two weeks and $762 each week. After taxes the same job pays $15.71 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Home Health and Personal Care Aides
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Home Health Aides this way: "Monitor the health status of an individual with disabilities or illness, and address their health-related needs, such as changing bandages, dressing wounds, or administering medication. Work is performed under the direction of offsite or intermittent onsite licensed nursing staff. Provide assistance with routine healthcare tasks or activities of daily living, such as feeding, bathing, toileting, or ambulation. May also help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry depending on the patient's abilities."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Maintain records of patient care, condition, progress, or problems to report and discuss observations with supervisor or case manager"; "Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming"; "Provide patients and families with emotional support and instruction in areas such as caring for infants, preparing healthy meals, living independently, or adapting to disability or illness"; "Entertain, converse with, or read aloud to patients to keep them mentally healthy and alert".
This BLS pay category covers several related O*NET occupations, among them Home Health Aides, Personal Care Aides, so the wage figures describe the group as a whole.
Job outlook for Home Health and Personal Care Aides
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 4,677,100 jobs in 2025 to 5,524,400 in 2035, a change of +18.1%, faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 760,500 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 16.3% of current employment each year.
Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent. Typical on-the-job training to reach competency: short-term on-the-job training. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $35,800 for this occupation; the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT median of $39,620 is 10.7% above it.
How pay in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT compares
Compared with the Connecticut average
A worker in this occupation in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT earns $657 more than the Connecticut average of $38,963, a premium of 1.7%. Over a year that premium is worth $657 before tax and roughly $541 after tax. Within Connecticut, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Home Health and Personal Care Aides is $34,899 across the contiguous United States. At $39,620, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT pays $4,722 more, which is 13.5% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
Among the 510 occupations with published wages in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT, Home Health and Personal Care Aides ranks number 450 by median pay, ahead of about 12% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is General and Operations Managers at $148,080 a year, which is $108,460 more than the median for Home Health and Personal Care Aides.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Home Health and Personal Care Aides earning the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT median of $39,620, they add up to $6,948. The result is $32,672 of take-home pay a year ($2,723 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $18 goes to taxes and $82 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 17.5%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $23,870. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $2,626, an effective 6.6% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $2,456 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $574. FICA totals $3,031, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in Connecticut
Connecticut income tax on this salary is $1,291 a year, or 3.3% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 49% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $108 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
IRS Statistics of Income data for Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT show an average adjusted gross income of $114,062 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 15.4% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 5.8%, compared with the 6.6% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $32,672 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,543 a month ($18,516 a year), and at $1,933 for two bedrooms. For Home Health and Personal Care Aides, a one-bedroom absorbs 56.7% of take-home pay and 46.7% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 8.7% of gross pay for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Connecticut residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $3,037 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $667, for $3,704 in total. Gasoline in Connecticut averages $3.37 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,559.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $27,215 a year in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT. Subtract that from $32,672 of take-home pay and $5,457 remains, which is $455 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 13.8% of gross pay, a workable but modest cushion.
Local housing and commute data for Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT, set beside the Connecticut and national medians.
Property taxes in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
Homeowners in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT pay a median of $6,357 a year in real estate taxes, 4% below the Connecticut median of $6,643 and 104% above the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $379,700, the median tax bill is 1.67% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Home Health and Personal Care Aides median of $39,620, a tax bill of that size would equal 16.0% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
Renters in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT pay a median gross rent of $1,454 a month in the Census survey, 2% below the Connecticut median of $1,488. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $1,543 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $379,700, 3% above the Connecticut median of $366,900. Median household income is $104,428, 9% above the Connecticut median of $95,781, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 17.7% of that income.
Commuting in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
Workers in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT who travel to a workplace spend an average of 26.0 minutes each way, 2% below the Connecticut average of 26.5. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 4.3 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 16.8% of workers in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Home Health and Personal Care Aides afford to live in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $39,620 that ceiling is $990 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,543 is $553 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $29.67 an hour; the median for Home Health and Personal Care Aides is $19.05, which is 36% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $15.71 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 22.7 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,933 a month means $967 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $6,918 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $12,375.
How fast you can save
At $455 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 22 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 44 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Home Health and Personal Care Aides pay in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
How much do Home Health and Personal Care Aides make per hour in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT?
The median is $19.05 per hour, based on $39,620 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $16.68 at the 10th percentile to $21.50 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Home Health and Personal Care Aides take home after taxes in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $39,620 becomes $32,672 a year. That is $2,723 a month, $1,257 every two weeks or $628 a week.
How much tax do Home Health and Personal Care Aides pay in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT?
Total taxes are $6,948 a year, an effective rate of 17.5%: $2,626 federal income tax, $3,031 FICA and $1,291 Connecticut income tax.
Do Home Health and Personal Care Aides earn more in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT than elsewhere in Connecticut?
Yes. The local median of $39,620 is +1.7% versus the Connecticut average of $38,963, a difference of $657 a year.
Can Home Health and Personal Care Aides afford a one-bedroom apartment in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT?
A one-bedroom costs $1,543 a month against take-home pay of $2,723, which is 56.7% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $990 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT?
About $455 a month ($5,457 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $27,215 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT at the 30% guideline?
$29.67 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $18,516 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Home Health and Personal Care Aides is $19.05.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the Connecticut rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.