How Much Does a Home Health Aide Make in Santa Barbara, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for Home Health Aides in Santa Barbara, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · Santa Maria · Santa Barbara metro area
A typical Home Health Aide in Santa Barbara, California earns $16.50 per hour, or $34,320 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $2,860 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $34,320, and the top 10% of earners make over $44,080.
That pay is right at the California figure of $34,320 and 4% below the national figure of $35,800. Santa Barbara ranks 14th of 25 metro areas in California for Home Health Aide pay. About 6,470 Home Health Aides work in the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area. Santa Barbara is part of the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Santa Maria share these figures.
Home Health Aide pay in Santa Barbara at a glance
- Typical pay is $16.50 an hour, or $34,320 a year.
- That is right at the California figure, ranking 14th of 25 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $34,320; the top 10% make over $44,080.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Home Health Aide make in Santa Barbara?
Pay in Santa Barbara runs from entry-level positions at around $16.50 an hour to more than $21.19 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the California and national figures.
Home Health Aide pay by career stage in Santa Barbara
| Career stage | Santa Barbara | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $34,320$16.50 an hour | $34,320$16.50 an hour | $27,040$13.00 an hour |
| First years | $34,320$16.50 an hour | $34,320$16.50 an hour | $31,920$15.35 an hour |
| Typical Home Health Aide | $34,320$16.50 an hour | $34,320$16.50 an hour | $35,800$17.21 an hour |
| Experienced | $37,450$18.00 an hour | $36,550$17.57 an hour | $39,470$18.98 an hour |
| Top 10% | $44,080$21.19 an hour | $39,260$18.87 an hour | $45,040$21.65 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area as BLS defines it
Home Health Aide pay growth in Santa Barbara
Typical (median) annual wage for Home Health Aides in the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area · BLS OES May estimates, 2019 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2019, typical Home Health Aide pay in Santa Barbara was $27,420 a year. By 2025 it had reached $34,320.
How Santa Barbara compares with other California cities
Santa Clara pays Home Health Aides the most in California at $37,640 a year, $3,320 more than Santa Barbara. The lowest-paying area in the state is Merced at $34,320.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Santa Barbara | Home Health Aides employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara | $37,640 | $18.09 | +10% | 49,610 |
| 2 | Santa Rosa metro incl. Petaluma | $36,850 | $17.72 | +7% | 10,150 |
| 3 | Fremont metro incl. San Francisco · Oakland | $35,950 | $17.28 | +5% | 119,120 |
| 4 | Chula Vista | $35,300 | $16.97 | +3% | 57,080 |
| 5 | Modesto | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 9,160 |
| 6 | Napa | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 2,900 |
| 7 | Oxnard metro incl. Thousand Oaks · Ventura | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 15,250 |
| 8 | Redding | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 5,500 |
| 9 | Riverside metro incl. San Bernardino · Ontario | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 102,760 |
| 10 | Sacramento | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 60,350 |
| 11 | Salinas | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 6,740 |
| 12 | San Luis Obispo metro incl. Paso Robles | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 4,160 |
| 13 | Santa Cruz metro incl. Watsonville | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 4,470 |
| 14 | Santa Barbara metro incl. Santa Maria | $34,320 | $16.50 | this city | 6,470 |
| 15 | Stockton metro incl. Lodi | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 12,580 |
| 16 | Vallejo | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 7,850 |
| 17 | Visalia | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 8,220 |
| 18 | Bakersfield metro incl. Delano | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 17,270 |
| 19 | Yuba City | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 3,120 |
| 20 | Chico | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 5,940 |
| 21 | El Centro | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 8,020 |
| 22 | Fresno | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 33,580 |
| 23 | Hanford metro incl. Corcoran | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 3,250 |
| 24 | Los Angeles metro incl. Long Beach · Anaheim | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 385,530 |
| 25 | Merced | $34,320 | $16.50 | 0% | 4,990 |
Every metro area in California with Home Health Aide wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $34,320
Is Santa Barbara a good place to work as a Home Health Aide?
Home Health Aide pay in Santa Barbara sits close to the national figure: $34,320 a year, 4% below the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area, about 32 are Home Health Aide positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 28. That makes the local economy more reliant on Home Health Aides than most places, and turnover keeps positions opening through the year.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Home Health Aide make in Santa Barbara, CA?
- A typical Home Health Aide in Santa Barbara earns $34,320 a year, or $16.50 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $34,320 and the top 10% earn over $44,080.
- How much does a Home Health Aide make an hour in Santa Barbara?
- Typical hourly pay for Home Health Aides in Santa Barbara is $16.50. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $16.50, and the top 10% earn over $21.19 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Home Health Aide in Santa Barbara?
- Entry-level Home Health Aide positions in Santa Barbara typically offer around $16.50 an hour, or $34,320 a year.
- Is Home Health Aide pay in Santa Barbara higher than in the rest of California?
- Santa Barbara pay is right at the California figure of $34,320 a year, ranking 14th of 25 metro areas in the state. Santa Clara pays the most in California at $37,640.