When families start looking into in-home care, the first question is almost always the same: what is this going to cost? The honest answer is that it depends a great deal on where you live. The same weekday visits that fit a budget in one state can cost noticeably more a few hundred miles away.
This guide explains what goes into the cost of in-home care, how to estimate a monthly budget, and what caregivers are paid in every state and the District of Columbia, based on the latest federal wage data. Caregiver pay ranges from a median of about $11 an hour in Louisiana to about $23 in Washington, and that spread drives much of the difference families see in agency quotes.
Types of In-Home Care and How They Are Priced
In-home care isn’t one service. What you pay depends heavily on the kind of help a loved one needs:
- Companion and homemaker care: conversation, supervision, light housekeeping, meals, and errands. This is typically the least expensive type of care. Our guide to companion care explains it in more detail.
- Personal care: hands-on help with bathing, dressing, toileting, and moving around safely. It usually costs somewhat more than companion care. See our guide to personal care assistance.
- Home health care: skilled care from nurses and therapists, ordered by a doctor. When the coverage requirements are met, Medicare can cover this care at no cost to the patient. Our guide to home health care for seniors explains how it works.
Most of this guide focuses on non-medical care (companion and personal care), since that’s what families most often pay for out of pocket.
Why Caregiver Wages Are a Useful Starting Point
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes official wage data for home health and personal care aides in every state. Nationally, these caregivers earned a median of about $17 an hour in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Caregiver pay isn’t the same as what families pay an agency, though. Agency hourly rates are typically higher than caregiver wages because they also cover:
- Employer payroll taxes and workers’ compensation insurance.
- Liability insurance.
- Recruiting, background checks, and training.
- Supervision and care plan oversight.
- Scheduling and a replacement caregiver when the regular one is out.
That means state wage data works best as a way to compare states and to understand why quotes differ, not as a price list. The most accurate number for your family usually comes from local quotes.
How to Estimate Your Monthly Cost
A simple way to build a monthly estimate is:
- Hourly rate x hours per week x 4.33 weeks per month.
Using 4.33 weeks rather than 4 accounts for the fact that most months are a little longer than four weeks. Here are a few illustrative examples (not quotes) using a $30 hourly agency rate:
- 10 hours a week: about $1,299 a month.
- 20 hours a week: about $2,598 a month.
- 40 hours a week: about $5,196 a month.
Around-the-clock care is priced differently. Our guides to 24-hour in-home care and live-in care explain how those arrangements usually work and why a live-in arrangement can cost less than paying for every hour.
Families who hire a caregiver directly instead of using an agency usually pay a lower hourly rate, but may take on household employer taxes and other costs. The IRS’s guide to employment taxes for household employees explains those responsibilities, and a qualified tax professional can help with a specific situation.
Caregiver Wages by State
The bands below group each state by the median hourly wage for home health and personal care aides, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. Half of caregivers in each state earn more than the median and half earn less. Remember that agency rates are typically higher than these wages, and rates in a specific city or county can differ from the statewide figure. Where Senioridy has a detailed state cost guide, the state name links to it.
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
- $14 to $16 an hour: Pennsylvania
- $16 to $18 an hour: Delaware, New Jersey
- $18 to $20 an hour: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York
- $20 or more an hour: District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Vermont
Southeast
- Under $14 an hour: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia
- $14 to $16 an hour: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
- $16 to $18 an hour: Florida, Kentucky
Midwest
- $14 to $16 an hour: Kansas, Missouri
- $16 to $18 an hour: Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin
- $18 to $20 an hour: Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota
Southwest
- Under $14 an hour: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
- $16 to $18 an hour: Arizona
West
- $14 to $16 an hour: Wyoming
- $16 to $18 an hour: California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah
- $18 to $20 an hour: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii
- $20 or more an hour: Oregon, Washington
What Shapes In-Home Care Costs in Your State
- Cost of living: areas with higher housing and living costs generally have higher caregiver wages and agency rates.
- Minimum wage laws: many states and some cities set minimum wages above the federal level, which raises the floor for caregiver pay. The U.S. Department of Labor keeps a current list of state minimum wage laws.
- Demand and caregiver supply: rural areas may have fewer agencies and caregivers, which can affect both price and availability.
- Medicaid reimbursement: in states where Medicaid pays for much of the in-home care provided, the rates Medicaid pays can influence what caregivers earn.
- Type and timing of care: nights, weekends, holidays, dementia care, and short visits often cost more per hour.
Ways to Pay for In-Home Care
- Medicare: Original Medicare doesn’t cover ongoing non-medical care, such as help with bathing or dressing when that’s the only care needed, but it can cover skilled home health care when the requirements are met.
- Medicaid: every state offers some form of Medicaid-funded care at home for people who qualify. Our state-by-state guide to Medicaid long-term care waivers lists the main program in each state.
- VA benefits: veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities may qualify for Aid and Attendance, a monthly amount added to a VA pension.
- Long-term care insurance: many policies cover in-home care, though benefits and waiting periods vary. A licensed insurance professional can help review a specific policy.
Our guide on how to pay for in-home care covers each of these options in more depth.
Getting Accurate Quotes
Because rates vary so much, quotes from two or three local providers are usually the best guide. Questions worth asking:
- What is your hourly rate, and is there a minimum number of hours per visit or per week?
- Are rates different for nights, weekends, or holidays?
- Do rates change for personal care, dementia care, or two-person transfers?
- Is there a separate charge for the initial assessment or care plan?
- Do you accept Medicaid, VA benefits, or long-term care insurance?
When you’re ready to compare options, you can find in-home care providers near you in the Senioridy directory.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or medical advice. Wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025) and describe caregiver pay, not agency rates. Actual costs vary by provider, location, and level of care, and all cost examples are estimates. Program rules and benefits are subject to change, so always confirm current details with providers and official program representatives. Medicare Advantage plans may offer limited in-home support benefits that differ from Original Medicare; for free, personalized Medicare guidance, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counselor. For questions about taxes, Medicaid eligibility, or insurance, consult a qualified tax professional, elder law attorney, or licensed insurance professional.