Thanks to the steadily increasing demand for home care, the second fastest-growing occupation in the country is that of personal and home care aides (PHCAs). Yet PHCA wages - which were low to begin with - are failing to keep up with inflation nationwide.

"State Chart Book on Wages for Personal and Home Care Aides, 1999-2006", a new report, prepared by PHI for the PAS Center, looks at the decline in inflation-adjusted wages for these crucial workers. Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it charts the wages received by personal and home care aides in all 50 states and the nation over a seven-year period.