Personal Care and Service Jobs: Every Major Occupation’s Pay, Ranked (May 2025 BLS Data)
- The median annual wage for personal care and service occupations was $36,410 in May 2025, below the $50,980 median for all U.S. jobs.
- The group employed about 3,255,790 people nationwide.
- Its best-paid occupation with at least 10,000 jobs was First-Line supervisors of gambling services workers ($63,820); the lowest-paid was amusement and recreation attendants ($32,150).
BLS sorts every job in the country into 22 major occupational groups. This one, “Personal Care and Service Occupations” (SOC 39-0000), covers the occupations below. All pay and job counts come from the BLS OEWS national data, May 2025; the typical entry education for each job comes from BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35. Use the tables to see where your job sits in its field and which nearby jobs pay more.
Highest-paying jobs in the group
Occupations with at least 10,000 U.S. jobs, ranked by median annual wage:
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Hourly median | U.S. jobs | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers | $63,820 | $30.68 | 26,010 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers | $55,010 | $26.45 | 25,100 | Associate's degree |
| First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers | $48,590 | $23.36 | 114,110 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services | $48,560 | $23.34 | 103,190 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors | $47,160 | $22.67 | 322,930 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Skincare Specialists | $45,330 | $21.79 | 72,890 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Residential Advisors | $42,240 | $20.31 | 84,760 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Animal Trainers | $39,990 | $19.22 | 18,770 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Concierges | $38,950 | $18.73 | 49,240 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Barbers | $38,210 | $18.37 | 15,000 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Tour and Travel Guides | $38,120 | $18.33 | 53,500 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Baggage Porters and Bellhops | $37,080 | $17.83 | 28,510 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Lowest-paying jobs in the group
| Occupation | Median annual wage | U.S. jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Amusement and Recreation Attendants | $32,150 | 397,830 |
| Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | $32,910 | 121,770 |
| Gambling Dealers | $34,320 | 83,910 |
| Childcare Workers | $34,980 | 518,910 |
| Animal Caretakers | $35,360 | 266,910 |
The most common jobs in the group
These are the occupations most people in this field actually hold:
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Childcare Workers | 518,910 | $24,260 | $34,980 | $46,010 |
| Amusement and Recreation Attendants | 397,830 | $22,350 | $32,150 | $42,490 |
| Recreation Workers | 331,490 | $27,600 | $36,560 | $50,410 |
| Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors | 322,930 | $28,800 | $47,160 | $83,100 |
| Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists | 305,710 | $27,040 | $35,790 | $71,190 |
| Animal Caretakers | 266,910 | $27,250 | $35,360 | $50,060 |
| Manicurists and Pedicurists | 152,770 | $28,920 | $35,760 | $50,140 |
| Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | 121,770 | $23,560 | $32,910 | $42,470 |
Where personal care and service jobs pay the most
States with the highest median wage for the whole group (BLS OEWS state data, May 2025):
| State | Group median wage | Jobs in the group |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $47,150 | 69,570 |
| Massachusetts | $42,670 | 84,310 |
| Oregon | $41,600 | 57,550 |
| Alaska | $41,390 | 8,470 |
| Hawaii | $41,000 | 17,880 |
The lowest group medians were in Mississippi ($26,970), Louisiana ($27,990), Alabama ($28,560). Part of the gap reflects living costs and part reflects which jobs in the group are common in each state.
No bachelor’s degree? The best-paid job in this group with a typical entry requirement below a four-year degree was First-Line supervisors of gambling services workers, at a median of $63,820 (high school diploma or equivalent typically needed).
How to use this for a raise or a move
- Benchmark inside your field. Find your occupation in the tables and compare your pay with its median and with the 10th and 90th percentiles.
- Look one step over. The best-paid jobs in a group often use the same skills as the common ones. A certificate or license can move you up a row.
- Location matters. The state table shows how much the same kind of work pays in different places.
- Base pay only. OEWS wages exclude overtime, tips and most bonuses.
Published October 29, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point: the state where personal care and service jobs make up the largest share of local employment is Nevada, with a location quotient of 1.98 (64,190 jobs at a group median of $32,720). A location quotient above 1 means the group is a bigger share of the state’s jobs than it is nationally. Source: BLS OEWS state data, May 2025; location quotients are explained in the BLS OEWS overview.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk