Figure K
Among residential long-term care workers, direct care, food services, and cleaning and maintenance workers have particularly low annual earnings: Median annual earnings for the overall workforce, residential long-term care workers, and selected residential long-term care occupations
| Group | Median annual earnings |
|---|---|
| All workers | $43,169 |
| All residential long-term care workers | $30,984 |
| Direct care workers | $25,974 |
| Registered nurses | $57,194 |
| Licensed practical nurses | $40,036 |
| Food service workers | $19,807 |
| Cleaning and maintenance workers | $22,878 |
Notes: All values in 2021 dollars. To ensure sufficient sample sizes and reflect the “normal” pre-pandemic state of this industry, this figure draws from pooled 2015–2019 microdata. Direct care workers are those in the occupational categories “nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides” and “personal and home care aides.”
Source: Authors’ analysis of 2015–2019 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata.
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