Salary comparison
Home Health and Personal Care Aides: Olympia vs Salem
Salem, OR pays about 2.6% more for home health and personal care aides on paper — $45,200 vs $44,060. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Salem comes out ahead by $1,140 a year in real buying power.
Olympia, WA
$44,060
$41,580
$47,480
$21.18
100
$44,060/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Salem, OR
$45,200
$38,700
$47,130
$21.73
100
$45,200/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $1,140 a year (2.6%) in favor of Salem. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Olympia runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Salem sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Salem is the better deal by $1,140 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Olympia to Salem for this role, the raise needs to beat 2.6% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do home health and personal care aides earn more, Olympia or Salem?
Salem pays $45,200 on median — about 2.6% more than Olympia ($44,060). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Salem. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Salem gives you roughly$45,200 of real buying power versus $44,060 in the other city.