Demographic characteristics of domestic workers: Shares of domestic workers in different occupations with given characteristic, 2019
Domestic worker occupations | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Child care workers | Home care aides | |||||||
All other (nondomestic) workers | Domestic workers | Percentage-point difference | House cleaners | Nannies | Provider in own home | Non-agency-based | Agency-based | |
All | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | |
Gender | ||||||||
Female | 46.3% | 91.5% | 45.2 | 95.5% | 96.8% | 97.2% | 86.1% | 88.8% |
Male | 53.7% | 8.5% | -45.2 | 4.5% | 3.2% | 2.8% | 13.9% | 11.2% |
Nativity | ||||||||
U.S.-born | 82.9% | 64.9% | -18.0 | 30.7% | 71.6% | 70.9% | 76.7% | 70.4% |
Foreign-born U.S. citizen | 8.4% | 14.8% | 6.4 | 18.5% | 11.4% | 12.3% | 10.6% | 15.4% |
Foreign-born noncitizen | 8.7% | 20.3% | 11.6 | 50.8% | 16.9% | 16.8% | 12.6% | 14.2% |
Race/ethnicity | ||||||||
White, non-Hispanic | 62.9% | 41.7% | -21.3 | 29.0% | 64.6% | 54.8% | 51.3% | 37.0% |
Black, non-Hispanic | 11.9% | 21.7% | 9.7 | 6.5% | 7.9% | 13.3% | 20.1% | 30.3% |
Hispanic, any race | 17.1% | 29.1% | 12.0 | 61.5% | 23.8% | 28.4% | 19.5% | 22.4% |
Asian American/Pacific Islander | 6.9% | 6.3% | -0.6 | 2.2% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 7.2% | 8.6% |
Other | 1.1% | 1.3% | 0.2 | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 2.0% | 1.6% |
Education | ||||||||
Not high school graduate | 8.0% | 19.1% | 11.1 | 38.9% | 14.6% | 17.0% | 11.0% | 15.9% |
High school graduate | 25.8% | 37.6% | 11.8 | 36.9% | 30.8% | 34.1% | 36.2% | 40.0% |
Some college | 28.0% | 30.1% | 2.1 | 15.4% | 32.9% | 34.5% | 35.4% | 32.1% |
Bachelor’s degree | 24.3% | 10.7% | -13.6 | 7.7% | 17.9% | 12.1% | 14.2% | 9.6% |
Advanced degree | 13.8% | 2.4% | -11.4 | 1.2% | 3.8% | 2.2% | 3.2% | 2.4% |
Age | ||||||||
Under 23 | 8.3% | 9.0% | 0.7 | 2.8% | 35.7% | 5.9% | 6.1% | 6.8% |
23–29 | 15.7% | 12.9% | -2.8 | 5.9% | 25.4% | 10.4% | 9.7% | 13.5% |
30–39 | 22.0% | 18.6% | -3.4 | 20.1% | 11.8% | 17.8% | 14.2% | 20.0% |
40–49 | 20.6% | 19.5% | -1.1 | 28.3% | 9.0% | 22.6% | 16.9% | 18.6% |
50–54 | 10.2% | 11.7% | 1.4 | 13.9% | 4.8% | 12.7% | 12.4% | 12.0% |
55–59 | 9.8% | 11.5% | 1.7 | 12.4% | 6.1% | 15.2% | 14.0% | 11.2% |
60–64 | 7.2% | 8.3% | 1.1 | 8.6% | 4.6% | 7.7% | 11.4% | 8.7% |
65+ | 6.2% | 8.5% | 2.3 | 7.9% | 2.7% | 7.7% | 15.2% | 9.2% |
Median age | 41 | 45 | 47 | 26 | 47 | 51 | 45 |
Notes: To ensure sufficient sample sizes, this table draws from pooled 2017–2019 microdata. “Foreign-born” refers to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth.
To ensure sufficient sample sizes, this table draws from pooled 2017–2019 microdata. “Foreign-born” refers to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth. “Foreign-born noncitizen” includes foreign-born persons who are either lawful permanent residents, in a nonimmigrant status (migrants with temporary visas), or who lack an immigration status, including both unauthorized immigrants and those with lawful presence (such as DACA recipients and asylum applicants whose cases are in process).
Source: Economic Policy Institute (EPI) analysis of Current Population Survey basic monthly microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.2 (2020), https://microdata.epi.org
This chart appears in:
- Domestic Workers Chartbook: A comprehensive look at the demographics, wages, benefits, and poverty rates of the professionals who care for our family members and clean our homes
- Domestic workers 2020 alt
- Domestic workers chartbook 2022
- Domestic Workers Chartbook 2022: A comprehensive look at the demographics, wages, benefits, and poverty rates of the professionals who care for our family members and clean our homes