Everything You Need to Know About How Much Family Caregivers and Professional Caregivers Make in Pennsylvania

Understanding Caregiver Salary Rates, Benefits and Reimbursement Rates in the State of Pennsylvania

Whether you are considering applying for caregiver job openings, or you just need to take care of your mom or dad at home, understanding caregiver salary in Pennsylvania is probably near the top of the list of what you need to know.

As a family caregiver, you may be wondering if you can actually be paid to take care of an elderly parent. For professional caregivers, you may have some understanding that the salary for a caregiver depends on important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, training, and the number of years you have spent in your profession.

But it’s not just those factors that play a role in the average caregiver salary. What caregivers make in Pennsylvania should always be compared to the national average based on geography. Another factor is how employers price a job. Here’s what you can expect a caregiver to make in Pennsylvania.

Family Caregiver Support in Pennsylvania: Reimbursement for Out-of-Pocket Expenses

First, it’s important to know that family caregivers can receive a type of caregiver salary in the form of reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses. The Pennsylvania Caregiver Support Program provides resources, assistance and reimbursement to individuals who assume a primary caregiver role for an elderly parent, an individual with functional deficits, or an adopted child.

The amount of reimbursement for costs associated with caregiving-related services and supplies is determined using a sliding scale that is based on the current Federal Poverty Level guidelines and covers care receiver household income up to 380% of the FPL. And as of August 10, 2021 the maximum monthly reimbursement amount (based on the calculated percentage) increased to $600. In other words, for primary family caregivers, the caregiver salary is up to $600 per month in the form of reimbursements.

The services available through this program include care management, benefits counseling,  education and training, and reimbursement for ongoing expenses related to their role as a caregiver (e.g. respite care, support services, home modifications).

The local Area Agency on Aging administers this program. For more information, to check for eligibility and to apply for the program, use the Area Agency on Aging Locator to find the AAA serving your local county.

See more about Government Assistance for Family Caregivers.

Personal Care Aide and Caregiver Salary in Pennsylvania

Because non-medical personal caregivers only need a high school degree or equivalent (such as a GED), they have much fewer factors influencing the rate of salary in Pennsylvania than medical caregivers do. The main factor influencing caregiver salary in the state is geographic location.

Average Pay and Geographic Differentials

According to Salary.com, as of August 27, 2023, the average personal caregiver salary in Pennsylvania is $28,268, but the range typically falls between $25,679 and $31,240.

Geographic pay differentials are additional compensation paid to an employee to account for variations in cost of labor and/or the cost of living. You can’t just select a national average with a geographic differential by state to understand that range. Geographic differentials are also by county or city as well in how employers price a job. This means that caregiver salary can vary from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and from Allentown to McKeesport.

According to Indeed, the top five of the highest paying cities for caregivers in Pennsylvania include:

• Pottstown ($14.65 per hour)
• Lebanon ($14.55 per hour)
• York (14.53 per hour)
• Chambersburg ($14.39 per hour)
• Philadelphia (14.35 per hour)

HHA, CNA and RNs: Professional Medical Caregiver Salary in Pennsylvania

For those individuals considering a professional medical career in caregiving, let’s look at what you can expect for a salary in Pennsylvania.

Years of Experience

Years you have spent in your profession can also account for differences in caregiver salary. The more years you have spent as a caregiver, the more likely your salary in Pennsylvania will increase. According to Indeed, the average salary for a caregiver in Pennsylvania who has spent one to two years in the field is $31,767. That amount increases to $33,794 for those who have been in the caregiver industry for six to nine years.

Factors Including Education, Certifications and Other Formalities

If you are looking at professional caregiver jobs, chances are you know there are a lot of different roles out there and many of them have different requirements and have vastly different pay rates. Important factors including education, certifications, additional skills, and training can all play a role in how a employers price a job.

Jobs that require a formal education generally pay more. For example, a registered nurse must have two to four years of schooling and make an average $95,110 salary in Pennsylvania.  Compare this to a home health aide who only needs a high school degree, or equivalent, and makes an average $31,202 salary in Pennsylvania.

Some jobs such as registered nurse or certified nursing assistant require certifications and training. Like education, this can also increase your salary in Pennsylvania. However, there are additional certifications and training for jobs that don’t require them that can also increase your caregiver salary. These certifications and training are seen as making a candidate more valuable because they are more likely to do a better job at work.

It’s More than Just a Caregiver Salary!

While salary is important, it isn’t the only benefit you get from a job. Other benefits that can be valuable include a signing bonus, moving bonus, health insurance, life insurance, a 401K or other retirement matching plan, direct deposit of paychecks, convenient locations and a positive work environment.

Signing and/or Moving Bonus: These can be helpful, especially if you have to move locations or if you have a break between jobs.

Health and Life Insurance: Both of these can be expensive when purchased on your own, so having an employer pay into these programs can be valuable.

401K and Other Retirement Matching Plans: People are living longer these days and relying solely on social security typically doesn’t cut it. Having another source of income during retirement is a very valuable benefit in the long-run.

Direct Deposit and Convenient Locations: These benefits can both save you gas money, which can be expensive. Direct deposit saves you from having to make an extra trip into work and convenient locations means a shorter commute.

Positive Work Environment: If you don’t enjoy where you work and who you work with, you won’t love your job! A friendly and positive work environment can make coming into work more enjoyable.

Become a Caregiver in the Philadelphia Area with All American Home Care

Do you want to become a caregiver in the Philadelphia area? All American Home Care is regularly seeking caring professionals who want to make a difference in the lives of others.

We are dedicated to providing the highest quality in home health and personal care services to our valued community. We carefully assess the unique needs of each patient and ensure those needs are met by our trustworthy and compassionate clinical aides, meaning you make a real difference in the lives of your patients.

At All American Home Care, we understand that our employees are the heart of our home health care agency, plus we want you to love your job! That’s why we offer competitive benefits that will make working for our organization a joy.

We offer many great benefits including:

• A $350 signing bonus when you accept a position.
• Free health insurance.
• Free life insurance.
• Paid dental insurance.
• Prescription drug benefits.
• A higher, more competitive caregiver salary rate.
• A 401K retirement and matching plan.
• Tax deferred savings plans.
• Employee donation matching programs.
• Paid family leave.
• Bilingual personnel (including Spanish and Hindi speaking personnel)
• Direct deposit of paychecks.
• Friendly and positive work environment.

We are hiring for many different positions, including certified nursing assistant (CNA), recruiter, medical assistant, payroll coordinator, incident reporting coordinator, and home health aide (HHA). Many of these positions are bilingual and some have higher signing bonuses!

If you’d love to become a member of the All American care team plus make a higher caregiver salary in Pennsylvania, we’d love to have you visit our careers page. There, you can learn more about our great benefits and our current job openings plus apply for your new caregiver career online.