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Direct support professional salary in California

Open direct support professional jobs in California post a median of $21 an hour, the middle half $19.75–$24.75 (about $43,700 a year full time), $2 above the national posted median. From 51 jobs at 9 employers that state their pay.

$21
Median posted /hr
$20–$25
Middle half /hr
$43,700
A year, full time
estimate, 2,080 hours
$16.50
BLS median in CA
May 2025

The jobs themselves: Direct support professional jobs in California · Direct support professional pay nationwide

What direct support professionals are paid in California

Each bar counts the open jobs posting an hourly rate in its step of pay (a range at its midpoint).

Posted hourly rates of 51 open jobs in California. Lowest posted $16.90, highest $35.

Posted on open jobs in California

$19.75–$24.75/hr

Middle half of 28 employer rates (each employer's advertised range once), median $21. 89% of the 57 open direct support professional jobs in California state an hourly rate.

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Direct support professional pay by town in California

Towns where at least three open jobs state an hourly rate, the towns with the most such jobs first.

TownMedian postedPosted rangeJobs (employers)
Los Angeles$26.75$20–$3512 (3)
Suisun City$19.75$19.61–$25.806 (1)
Pasadena$20$20–$215 (2)
Thousand Oaks$23.25$22.75–$264 (1)

Median of employers' rates in the town, the lowest and highest rate posted, and the jobs and employers behind them. A town opens its own job page.

Direct support professional pay by employer in California

What each employer posts for direct support professionals here, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first.

EmployerMedian postedPosted rangeJobs stating pay
PathPoint$23.75$22.75–$27.048
AbilityFirst$20$208
ETTA$20$20–$358
DABS$21$17–$267
Connections for Life$19.50$19.61–$25.806
Easterseals Southern California$20.50$20–$215
Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health$19.25$18–$285
Strategies to Empower People$17.25$16.90–$18.253
Toolworks$29$291

Median of each employer's jobs in California (a range at its midpoint), and its lowest and highest rate here. An employer's name opens its pay for direct support professionals nationwide when it has such a page.

Best-paid open direct support professional jobs in California

The open jobs posting the highest hourly rates tonight, at most two from one employer.

What BLS measures in California

What people employed in the occupation earned in the state, at every level of experience, from the BLS survey. A posting advertises what a new hire is offered.

Hourly wages, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, California. Each figure opens its BLS page.
BLS occupation10th pct25th pctMedian75th pct90th pctEmployed
Home Health and Personal Care Aides (31-1120)$16.50 (source: BLS OEWS, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, opens in a new tab)$16.50 (source: BLS OEWS, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, opens in a new tab)$16.50 (source: BLS OEWS, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, opens in a new tab)$17.57 (source: BLS OEWS, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, opens in a new tab)$18.87 (source: BLS OEWS, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, opens in a new tab)970,150 (source: BLS OEWS, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, opens in a new tab)

BLS median by metro area

Direct support professional salary in California: common questions

How much does a direct support professional make in California?

Open direct support professional jobs in California that state an hourly rate post a median of $21, the middle half $19.75–$24.75 (51 jobs from 9 employers). Full time that is about $43,700 a year. BLS measured a median of $16.50/hr ($34,320 a year) for people employed in the occupation in California (May 2025).

Where in California do direct support professionals earn the most?

By the median rate open jobs post, in the towns with the most jobs stating pay: Los Angeles ($26.75), Suisun City ($19.75), Pasadena ($20) and Thousand Oaks ($23.25). The town table lists 4.

Which employers in California pay direct support professionals the most?

Among employers stating a rate on at least three open jobs here: PathPoint ($23.75), DABS ($21) and Easterseals Southern California ($20.50).

How does California compare with the rest of the country?

The posted median in California ($21) is $2 above the national posted median of $19. In the BLS survey California ranks 31 of 52 by median wage.

Where do these figures come from?

From the pay open jobs state, read every night from each employer's own job board: 51 of 57 open direct support professional jobs in California (89%) state an hourly rate. No pay is estimated for a job that states none; "up to" ceilings and weekly travel rates are left out.

Direct support professional pay in other states

Direct support professional salary nationwide →Every healthcare salary →

Sources and method

Only pay a job states is used, a range at its midpoint. In the state's median and middle half each employer's advertised range counts once, so an employer posting one range in many towns does not set the figure; a town's median follows the same rule. "Up to" ceilings, weekly travel rates and rates far from the occupation's median are left out. A state has a page while at least 8 jobs from 3 employers state a rate there. The yearly estimate is the hourly rate times 2,080 hours. BLS figures are as published.
  1. CareJobs.Now job board: the pay open jobs state, read nightly from each employer's own careers site, published October 24, 2026
  2. BLS OEWS May 2025: Home Health and Personal Care Aides (SOC 31-1120), every state, published May 15, 2026
  3. BLS OEWS May 2025: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, national, published May 15, 2026
  4. BLS OEWS May 2025: Home Health and Personal Care Aides by metropolitan area, published May 15, 2026

Cite this page

CareJobs.Now. (2026). Direct support professional salary in California. Data as of October 24, 2026. https://carejobs.now/salaries/direct-support-professional/california

How the board counts