What is a primary caregiver and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a primary caregiver. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.22 an hour? That's $29,576 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 36% and produce 1,185,800 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScorePrimary CaregiverUS Average
Salary
2.3

Avg. Salary $29,576

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
8.0

Growth Rate 36%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.15%

Asian 7.51%

Black or African American 11.01%

Hispanic or Latino 17.30%

Unknown 4.34%

White 58.68%

Gender

female 70.80%

male 29.20%

Age - 50
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50
Stress Level
8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
7.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
9.6

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Primary Caregiver career paths

Key steps to become a primary caregiver

  1. Explore primary caregiver education requirements

    Most common primary caregiver degrees

    Bachelor's

    47.6 %

    Associate

    21.9 %

    High School Diploma

    14.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific primary caregiver skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Home Health43.53%
    Senior Care18.93%
    PET16.34%
    Autism11.19%
    Dementia Care4.00%
  3. Research primary caregiver duties and responsibilities

    • Assist patient with ADL's.
    • Handle all referrals to housing, detoxification, rehabilitation, organization, and agencies.
    • Verse and familiar with caring for a patient with mild to advance Alzheimer's disease.
    • Step away from full-time work to serve as caregiver to grandmother diagnose with Alzheimer's disease.
  4. Prepare your primary caregiver resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your primary caregiver resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a primary caregiver resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Primary Caregiver Resume templates

    Build a professional Primary Caregiver resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Primary Caregiver resume.
    Primary Caregiver Resume
    Primary Caregiver Resume
    Primary Caregiver Resume
    Primary Caregiver Resume
    Primary Caregiver Resume
    Primary Caregiver Resume
    Primary Caregiver Resume
    Primary Caregiver Resume
    Primary Caregiver Resume
  5. Apply for primary caregiver jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a primary caregiver job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Primary Caregiver Job

Zippi

Are you a Primary Caregiver?

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Average primary caregiver salary

The average Primary Caregiver salary in the United States is $29,576 per year or $14 per hour. Primary caregiver salaries range between $22,000 and $38,000 per year.

Average Primary Caregiver Salary
$29,576 Yearly
$14.22 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do primary caregivers rate their job?

4/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Primary Caregiver reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2021
Pros

Helping the Seniors

Cons

Repetitive, work that I have been doing for over 20 years.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2021
Pros

I like helping people and providing for their needs

Cons

The wages are not live-able at all.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

Assisting and helping clients meet daily goals of independence.

Cons

The highly mandated hours I had to work due to under staffing.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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