America Will Need Nearly 850,000 More Home Care Workers by 2035 -- 24 Hour Caregivers Says the Race for Caregivers Has Already Begun
New federal employment projections show home health and personal care aides will add more jobs than any other occupation over the next decade, highlighting the growing challenge of building a workforce capable of caring for an aging America.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- America's growing demand for home-based care is creating an equally urgent need for the people who provide it.
New projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimate that employment of home health and personal care aides will increase by approximately 847,300 jobs between 2025 and 2035, more new jobs than any other occupation in the United States.
Employment in the field is projected to rise from approximately 4.68 million workers in 2025 to 5.52 million in 2035, an increase of about 18 percent, compared with projected growth of just 3.5 percent across all U.S. occupations.
For 24 Hour Caregivers, a California-based home care provider serving seniors and families across the state, those numbers reinforce a challenge the company says the industry is already experiencing: finding, training and retaining enough qualified caregivers to keep pace with demand.
"The caregiver shortage isn't something that's coming ten years from now. We're dealing with it today," said Allen Tahir, Founder and CEO of 24 Hour Caregivers. "Families increasingly want their parents to remain at home, but making that possible depends on having reliable, compassionate people available to provide the care. The industry has to start treating caregiver recruitment and retention as one of the most important issues in senior care."
More New Jobs Than Any Other Occupation
The scale of the projected demand is significant.
According to the BLS 2025–2035 Employment Projections:
- Home health and personal care aide employment is projected to grow 18.1 percent.
- The occupation is projected to add approximately 847,300 jobs by 2035.
- Approximately 760,500 openings are projected each year, on average, over the decade as the industry expands and existing workers leave the occupation.
- Home health and personal care aides are projected to add more jobs than any other occupation in the United States.
The projected 847,300 additional positions far exceed the numeric job gains expected in several other major occupations. For comparison, BLS projects approximately 250,700 additional stocker and order-filler jobs, 194,700 additional registered nurse jobs and 174,700 additional software developer jobs over the same period.
The numbers show just how important caregiving is becoming to the future of the American workforce.
An Aging America Wants to Stay Home
Much of that growth is being driven by demographics.
As Americans live longer and the population of older adults increases, millions of families will face decisions about how and where aging parents and relatives receive care.
At the same time, long-term services and support have increasingly shifted toward homes and community-based settings rather than institutional care.
For many older adults, staying at home means maintaining familiar routines, surroundings, independence and connections to their communities. But aging in place can become difficult without help with everyday needs such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, mobility, transportation, companionship and household tasks.
The workforce equation is straightforward: the more Americans who choose to age at home, the more caregivers the country will need.
"The demand side of home care gets a lot of attention because everyone can see the demographic changes happening," Tahir said. "But there is another side of that equation. Who is actually going to provide the care?"
The Bigger Number: 760,500 Openings Every Year
Perhaps even more striking than the projected 847,300 additional jobs is the number of workers the industry will need to recruit over time.
BLS projects approximately 760,500 openings for home health and personal care aides every year, on average, from 2025 through 2035.
Not all of those openings represent newly created positions. Many will result from workers changing occupations, retiring or otherwise leaving the labor force.
That distinction matters for home care providers.
Agencies are not simply hiring to accommodate new demand. They must continually replace caregivers who leave while also expanding their workforce to serve a growing number of clients.
For Tahir, that means retention must become just as important as recruitment.
"You can spend all the money in the world recruiting caregivers, but if good caregivers don't feel valued, respected and supported, you're constantly starting over," Tahir said. "The agencies that succeed over the next decade will be the ones that understand that taking care of caregivers is directly connected to taking care of clients."
Caregiving Is More Than Filling a Shift
Home care also presents a workforce challenge that cannot be solved simply by filling open positions.
Caregivers often work inside a client's home and may spend hours each day with the same person. For seniors living with dementia, Parkinson's disease, mobility limitations or other age-related challenges, consistency and trust can be especially important.
That makes matching caregivers based on experience, personality, availability and a client's individual needs an important part of quality care.
24 Hour Caregivers employs caregivers as W-2 employees, conducts background checks, provides ongoing training and works to match caregivers with clients based on their needs and circumstances.
The company also emphasizes caregiver communication, recognition and retention as competition for experienced care professionals continues to grow.
Technology Can Help, But It Cannot Replace the Caregiver
Technology and artificial intelligence are also beginning to change how home care companies operate.
AI-assisted recruiting, scheduling, communication, lead management and workforce analytics can help agencies operate more efficiently and identify staffing challenges earlier.
But Tahir cautions against viewing technology as a substitute for human caregivers.
"AI can help us schedule better, recruit more efficiently and understand our operations in ways that weren't possible before," Tahir said. "But technology cannot hold someone's hand, help them safely get out of bed or provide companionship to a person who is alone. The future of home care will use more technology, but the caregiver will remain at the center of care."
That human element is reflected even in BLS's assessment of the occupation. Among the top skills identified for home health and personal care aides are interpersonal skills, adaptability and attention to detail.
A Workforce Challenge That Extends Beyond Home Care Agencies
The implications extend well beyond the home care industry.
When professional care is unavailable or unaffordable, responsibility often falls to family members.
Adult children may reduce work hours, rearrange schedules or temporarily leave the workforce to care for aging parents. Spouses may become primary caregivers while managing health or mobility challenges of their own.
Expanding America's professional caregiving workforce is therefore more than a healthcare employment issue. It increasingly intersects with workforce participation, family finances, senior independence and the broader economy.
"Most families don't think about the caregiver workforce until they suddenly need someone," Tahir said. "Then it becomes very personal, very quickly. Our industry needs to prepare before millions more families reach that moment."
The Race for Caregivers Has Already Begun
The BLS projections offer a glimpse of what America's care economy could look like a decade from now.
By 2035, more than 5.5 million Americans could be employed as home health and personal care aides.
Reaching that workforce level, however, will require more than posting job openings.
24 Hour Caregivers believes the industry will need continued investment in recruitment, training, technology, career development and, perhaps most importantly, workplaces where caregivers feel respected, supported and valued.
"The companies that build strong caregiver cultures today will be the companies best positioned to care for America's seniors tomorrow," Tahir said. "The race for caregivers has already begun."
About 24 Hour Caregivers
Founded in 2008, 24 Hour Caregivers, Inc. is a family-owned California home care company providing non-medical in-home care services to seniors, adults with disabilities and families throughout California.
The company provides companionship, personal care, dementia and Alzheimer's care, respite care, post-hospitalization support, transportation and around-the-clock care through trained W-2 caregivers.
24 Hour Caregivers was named to the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies, reflecting the company's continued expansion and growing demand for home-based care.
For more information, visit 24 Hour Caregivers.
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