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Healthcare support occupations had employment of 6.4 million in May 2020

April 02, 2021

Healthcare support occupations had employment of 6.4 million in May 2020, representing 4.6 percent of total U.S. employment. Healthcare support workers assist healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, such as physicians and nurses.

Employment and annual mean wages for healthcare support occupations, May 2020
Occupation Employment Annual mean wage

Home health and personal care aides

3,211,590 $28,060

Nursing assistants

1,371,050 32,050

Medical assistants

710,200 36,930

Dental assistants

312,140 42,310

Phlebotomists

128,020 37,280

Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers

98,810 30,980

Healthcare support workers, all other

96,720 41,430

Physical therapist assistants

92,740 59,440

Massage therapists

85,040 47,350

Medical equipment preparers

56,870 41,070

Psychiatric aides

51,550 33,300

Medical transcriptionists

49,530 37,310

Physical therapist aides

45,790 30,110

Orderlies

43,570 31,780

Occupational therapy assistants

42,750 63,420

Pharmacy aides

38,900 32,250

Occupational therapy aides

5,630 34,160

Home health and personal care aides (3.2 million) and nursing assistants (1.4 million) made up 71 percent of healthcare support jobs. After home health and personal care aides and nursing assistants, the largest healthcare support occupations were medical assistants (710,200), dental assistants (312,140), and phlebotomists (128,020).

Healthcare support occupations had an annual mean wage of $32,250, below the U.S. average of $56,310 for all occupations combined. The largest healthcare support occupation, home health and personal care aides, was also the lowest paying, with an annual mean wage of $28,060. The highest paying healthcare support occupations were occupational therapy assistants ($63,420) and physical therapist assistants ($59,440).

Ninety-one percent of healthcare support jobs were in healthcare and social assistance industries, including individual and family services (1.5 million), home health care services (959,870), general medical and surgical hospitals (702,320), and nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) (630,550).

These data are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. To learn more, see "Occupational Employment and Wages—May 2020." Also see the occupational profiles for healthcare support occupations.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Healthcare support occupations had employment of 6.4 million in May 2020 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/healthcare-support-occupations-had-employment-of-6-4-million-in-may-2020.htm (visited March 18, 2024).

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