Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a home health or personal care aide make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, home health or personal care aides earned a median of $34,320 a year ($16.50 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 4,470 of these jobs there. That is 37% below the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $34,320 and $45,560; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $29,401 in take-home pay.

Home health or personal care aide pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance

Median salary

$34,320$16.50 per hour · $2,860 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$34,320$16.50/hr
25th percentile$34,320$16.50/hr
75th percentile$40,650$19.54/hr
90th percentile$45,560$21.91/hr
Jobs in this metro4,470Location quotient 1.64 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here37% belowAll-jobs median $54,730
Against Californiaabout the same asStatewide median $34,320
Against the U.S.4% belowNational median $35,800

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Home health or personal care aide salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes

$34,320
$15,000$70,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$34,320
Net 86%
Fed 6%
CA 1%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$29,401After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,450Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,131Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate14.3%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,938 / yr
California state income tax$355 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,625 / yr

Home health or personal care aides pay range in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What home health or personal care aides earned in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$16.50/hr$2,860$34,320$29,401
25th percentile$16.50/hr$2,860$34,320$29,401
MedianMedian$16.50/hr$2,860$34,320$29,401
75th percentile$19.54/hr$3,388$40,650$34,234
90th percentile$21.91/hr$3,797$45,560$37,982

Is $34,320 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for home health or personal care aides next to both.

Median household income$111,093Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)109.99.9% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household30.9%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Home health or personal care aide pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for home health or personal care aides in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for home health or personal care aides in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $34,320 in May 2025, about $2,860 a month or $16.50 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $34,320, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

What is the hourly pay for home health or personal care aides in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The median hourly wage for home health or personal care aides in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $16.50 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.50 an hour and one in ten earned more than $21.91.

How many home health or personal care aides work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS estimated 4,470 jobs for home health or personal care aides in the metro in May 2025, or 45.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.64 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for home health or personal care aides in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS wage estimates for home health or personal care aides in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $34,320 at the 10th percentile to $34,320 at the 25th, $40,650 at the 75th, and $45,560 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do home health or personal care aides take home after taxes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On a median gross salary of $34,320, an estimated $29,401 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,131 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,919 (an effective rate of 14.3%).

How much do home health or personal care aides make per month in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On the median annual salary of $34,320, gross monthly income is $2,860. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,450 per month (or $1,131 every two weeks).

Is $34,320 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

At $34,320, the median salary for home health or personal care aides is 30.9% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 37% below the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 109.9, so prices here run 9.9% above the U.S. average.