4. Alaska — $37,900 Median
Alaska pays home health aides some of the highest hourly rates in the country ($18.20 median), largely because of severe workforce shortages and travel demands.
Rural Alaska pays even more. Aides willing to work in Bush communities via bush plane earn $22 to $28 an hour plus housing and per diem, though schedules are demanding.
The catch is cost of living. Anchorage and Juneau are 25 to 40 percent more expensive than the national average, and rural fuel and grocery costs eat a lot of the wage premium.
