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Key State Characteristics

Total number of personal care aides, home health aides, and nursing assistants
107,710
Number of Direct Care Workers, 2021
Projected new jobs that will be created by rising demand for direct care workers
19,390
Direct Care Workforce Growth, 2020–2030
Projected direct care job openings due to both new jobs and job separations
158,400
Direct Care Workforce Total Job Openings, 2020–2030
Direct care workers who are women
89%
Women, 2020
Direct care workers who identify as Black/African American, Hispanic or Latino (any race), Asian/Pacific Islander, or another race (other than white)
82%
People of Color, 2020
Direct care workers who are U.S. citizens by naturalization and those who are not U.S. citizens
53%
Immigrants, 2020

Direct Care Workforce State Index Ranking

New Jersey

5/51 Tier 1: 1-13

Worker Supportive Policies Index

4/51

Direct Care Workforce Policies

State policies that improve direct care worker compensation, training, and access to employment (via matching service registries).

  • Score Year Compare
  • Personal Care Aide Training Standards Key Provisions 7/10 2019

    Notes:

    Note: The key provisions used in this indicator include training regulation characteristics and the consistency of training requirements across payers and programs. For the full list of personal care aide training provisions, see the methodological notes.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Home Health Aide Training Standards Exceed Federal Minimum Yes 2019

    Notes:

    Note: Federal regulations require home health aides employed by Medicare or Medicaid-certified home health agencies to complete 75 hours of training and 12 hours of continuing education, but states can set their own higher standards.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Nursing Assistant Training Standards Exceed Federal Minimum Yes 2019

    Notes:

    Note: Federal regulations require nursing assistants employed by Medicaid or Medicare-certified nursing homes to complete 75 hours of training and 12 hours of continuing education, but states can set their own higher standards.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Dollar-Amount Wage-Pass Through Policy (Current) No 2022

    Notes:

    Note: A dollar-amount wage pass-through is defined as a state policy that requires Medicaid-funded employers in long-term care to pay direct care workers a specified base wage or increase direct care worker wages by a specified dollar amount. This indicator includes current (not past) pass-throughs only.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Percentage Wage-Pass Through Policy (Current) No 2022

    Notes:

    Note: A percentage wage pass-through is defined as a state policy that requires employers in long-term care to spend a specified proportion of Medicaid reimbursements on direct care worker wages and/or other compensation. This indicator includes current (not past) pass-throughs only.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • State-Funded Matching Service Registry Yes 2018

    Notes:

    Note: Matching service registries are online platforms that facilitate matching between self-directing home care consumers (and other employers, in some cases) and direct care workers. This indicator includes registries that are funded by states and available statewide only.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology

Universal Labor Policies

State policies that support all workers’ ability to access health insurance, take paid time off, collectively bargain, achieve greater economic stability, and access/maintain employment without discrimination.

  • Score Year Compare
  • Minimum Wage Exceed Federal Minimum Wage Yes 2022

    Notes:

    Note: The federal minimum hourly wage is currently $7.25.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Medicaid Expansion Yes 2022

    Notes:

    Note: Under the Affordable Care Act, states have the option to access additional federal funding to expand Medicaid eligibility for all adults to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Paid Sick Leave Yes 2021

    Notes:

    Note: Paid sick leave policies allow workers to accrue a specificed number of paid hours off to address their own or a family members’ health (and for certain other reasons, in some cases).

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Paid Family and Medical Leave Yes 2022

    Notes:

    Note: Paid family and medical leave laws guarentee that workers who meet certain requirements can take extended paid time off for their own medical needs, to bond with a new child, to care for a family member, or (in some cases) for other covered reasons.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • "Right to Work" Laws No 2022

    Notes:

    Note: State "Right-to-Work" laws prohibit employers in those states from requiring workers to join a labor union as a condition of employment. In practice, these laws hinder efforts to organize workers and collectively bargain on their behalf.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Refundable State Earned Income Tax Credit Yes 2022

    Notes:

    Note: States’ Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) programs reduce the tax burden for low- to middle- income taxpayers. When the EITC is refundable, taxpayers may receive a refund if their credit exceeds their state income tax bill.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Non-Refundable State Earned Income Tax Credit No 2022

    Notes:

    Note: States’ Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) programs reduce the tax burden for low- to middle- income taxpayers. When the EITC is nonrefundable, the credit cannot exceed the taxpayer’s state income tax bill.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Protections for LGBTQ+ Workers Yes 2021

    Notes:

    Note: State-level protections for LGBTQ+ workers prohibit employment discrimination based on workers’ sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology

Direct Care Workforce Economic Index

30/51
  • Score Year Compare
  • Median Wage $15.31 2021

    Notes:

    Note: The median wage for all direct care workers is calculated as a weighted average of the median wages for personal care aides, home health aides, and nursing assistants.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Wage Competitiveness -$3.21 2021

    Notes:

    Note: These values reflects the difference between direct care worker median wages versus wages for occupations with similar or lower entry-level requirements. See the methodological notes for additional detail.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Median Personal Earnings $24,100 2020

    Notes:

    Note: This value reflects the median annual personal earnings for personal care aides, home health aides, and nursing assistants working across long-term care industries.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Low-Income Household 34% 2020

    Notes:

    Note: Direct care workers living in low-income households are defined as those living below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Lacks Affordable Housing 44% 2020

    Notes:

    Note: Affordable housing is defined by housing costs—including rent or mortgage payments and utility bills—that fall below 30 percent of a household’s total income.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology
  • Uninsured 13% 2020

    Notes:

    Note: This is the percentage of direct care workers who have any form of health insurance, including through their own or a family member’s employer or union; through Medicare, Medicaid, or another public program; or through the health insurance marketplace.

    Suggested Citation: PHI. “Direct Care Workforce State Index.” Last modified 01/10/2023. https://www.phinational.org/state-index-tool/

    FAQ & Methodology

About This Tool

This index was made possible by generous funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Created and led by PHI—the nation’s leading expert on direct care workers—the Direct Care Workforce State Index offers a data-driven picture of how states’ public policies support direct care workers and how these workers fare financially. This online interactive tool enables users to rank and compare states based on two composite measures: the range of policies states have enacted to support these and other low-income workers, and the economic status of direct care workers.

For more detailed information on this tool, email us at info@phinational.org.