Healthcare Support
Patient Care Technicians
SOC 31-9099
Provide direct bedside care and assist nurses and physicians.
The job
Median pay
$48k
$39k to $60k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+4.8% projected
Openings a year
14k
BLS projection
Typical education
Postsecondary cert
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
11/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
8th pct
More exposed than 8% of occupations · modeled estimate · 14th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
57/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Writing
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 23,590 | 1.3 | 1.8× | $49k |
| Texas | 10,320 | 0.7 | 1.0× | $45k |
| Florida | 5,550 | 0.6 | 0.8× | $46k |
| New York | 5,470 | 0.6 | 0.8× | $57k |
| Missouri | 4,410 | 1.5 | 2.1× | $40k |
| Pennsylvania | 4,160 | 0.7 | 1.0× | $45k |
| Louisiana | 4,100 | 2.1 | 3.0× | $34k |
| Maryland | 3,170 | 1.1 | 1.6× | $44k |
| Washington | 3,140 | 0.9 | 1.3× | $62k |
| Arizona | 3,070 | 0.9 | 1.3× | $50k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 2,940 | 1.0 | 1.4× | $46k |
| Colorado | 2,650 | 0.9 | 1.3× | $47k |
| Oregon | 2,650 | 1.3 | 1.9× | $48k |
| New Jersey | 2,640 | 0.6 | 0.9× | $50k |
| North Carolina | 2,470 | 0.5 | 0.7× | $47k |
| Michigan | 2,220 | 0.5 | 0.7× | $40k |
| Virginia | 2,180 | 0.5 | 0.8× | $46k |
| Georgia | 2,040 | 0.4 | 0.6× | $47k |
| Wisconsin | 1,810 | 0.6 | 0.9× | $45k |
| Massachusetts | 1,680 | 0.5 | 0.7× | $58k |
| Connecticut | 1,550 | 0.9 | 1.3× | $45k |
| Hawaii | 1,400 | 2.2 | 3.2× | $49k |
| Ohio | 1,360 | 0.2 | 0.3× | $44k |
| Illinois | 1,330 | 0.2 | 0.3× | $48k |
| Nevada | 1,280 | 0.8 | 1.2× | $51k |
| Tennessee | 1,230 | 0.4 | 0.5× | $48k |
| South Carolina | 860 | 0.4 | 0.5× | $50k |
| Utah | 830 | 0.5 | 0.7× | $47k |
| Arkansas | 790 | 0.6 | 0.9× | $38k |
| West Virginia | 780 | 1.1 | 1.6× | $39k |
| Kentucky | 770 | 0.4 | 0.6× | $46k |
| Alabama | 660 | 0.3 | 0.4× | $37k |
| Indiana | 590 | 0.2 | 0.3× | $50k |
| Oklahoma | 540 | 0.3 | 0.5× | $50k |
| Mississippi | 520 | 0.4 | 0.6× | $35k |
| Iowa | 470 | 0.3 | 0.4× | $45k |
| New Hampshire | 450 | 0.7 | 0.9× | $45k |
| New Mexico | 450 | 0.5 | 0.7× | $52k |
| Nebraska | 430 | 0.4 | 0.6× | $39k |
| Maine | 420 | 0.7 | 0.9× | $49k |
| Washington DC | 400 | 0.6 | 0.8× | $74k |
| Montana | 350 | 0.7 | 1.0× | $41k |
| Vermont | 300 | 1.0 | 1.4× | $47k |
| Rhode Island | 290 | 0.6 | 0.8× | $48k |
| North Dakota | 280 | 0.7 | 0.9× | $47k |
| South Dakota | 260 | 0.6 | 0.8× | $45k |
| Kansas | 240 | 0.2 | 0.2× | $55k |
| Idaho | 220 | 0.3 | 0.4× | $52k |
| Wyoming | 180 | 0.6 | 0.9× | $50k |
| Alaska | 120 | 0.4 | 0.5× | $61k |
| Delaware | 110 | 0.2 | 0.3× | $58k |
Top metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA11,760 jobs · $49k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ5,090 jobs · $58k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX2,380 jobs · $41k median
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ2,240 jobs · $48k median
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA2,180 jobs · $57k median
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA2,180 jobs · $67k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX2,080 jobs · $48k median
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD1,980 jobs · $41k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Patient Care Technicians interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.