What home care costs (2026)
Home health care costs by state: the hourly median for a non-medical caregiver in every state, and what 20 and 40 hours a week come to each month. Sort by any column; the national picture follows.
| Alabama | $27 | $2,350 | $4,700 |
| Alaska | $38 | $3,300 | $6,600 |
| Arizona | $38 | $3,300 | $6,600 |
| Arkansas | $25 | $2,150 | $4,350 |
| California | $40 | $3,450 | $6,950 |
| Colorado | $42 | $3,650 | $7,250 |
| Connecticut | $36 | $3,100 | $6,250 |
| Delaware | $35 | $3,050 | $6,050 |
| Florida | $32 | $2,750 | $5,550 |
| Georgia | $32 | $2,750 | $5,550 |
| Hawaii | $41 | $3,550 | $7,100 |
| Idaho | $39 | $3,400 | $6,750 |
| Illinois | $36 | $3,100 | $6,250 |
| Indiana | $35 | $3,050 | $6,050 |
| Iowa | $41 | $3,550 | $7,100 |
| Kansas | $34 | $2,950 | $5,900 |
| Kentucky | $33 | $2,850 | $5,700 |
| Louisiana | $26 | $2,250 | $4,500 |
| Maine | $45 | $3,900 | $7,800 |
| Maryland | $35 | $3,050 | $6,050 |
| Massachusetts | $40 | $3,450 | $6,950 |
| Michigan | $35 | $3,050 | $6,050 |
| Minnesota | $44 | $3,800 | $7,600 |
| Mississippi | $24 | $2,100 | $4,150 |
| Missouri | $33 | $2,850 | $5,700 |
| Montana | $38 | $3,300 | $6,600 |
| Nebraska | $36 | $3,100 | $6,250 |
| Nevada | $37 | $3,200 | $6,400 |
| New Hampshire | $40 | $3,450 | $6,950 |
| New Jersey | $38 | $3,300 | $6,600 |
| New Mexico | $30 | $2,600 | $5,200 |
| New York | $35 | $3,050 | $6,050 |
| North Carolina | $30 | $2,600 | $5,200 |
| North Dakota | $34 | $2,950 | $5,900 |
| Ohio | $34 | $2,950 | $5,900 |
| Oklahoma | $33 | $2,850 | $5,700 |
| Oregon | $40 | $3,450 | $6,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $34 | $2,950 | $5,900 |
| Rhode Island | $40 | $3,450 | $6,950 |
| South Carolina | $31 | $2,700 | $5,350 |
| South Dakota | $44 | $3,800 | $7,600 |
| Tennessee | $31 | $2,700 | $5,350 |
| Texas | $30 | $2,600 | $5,200 |
| Utah | $39 | $3,400 | $6,750 |
| Vermont | $45 | $3,900 | $7,800 |
| Virginia | $35 | $3,050 | $6,050 |
| Washington | $45 | $3,900 | $7,800 |
| West Virginia | $30 | $2,600 | $5,200 |
| Wisconsin | $36 | $3,100 | $6,250 |
| Wyoming | $46 | $4,000 | $7,950 |
Source: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, state medians for non-medical in-home care. Monthly totals are the hourly median × hours a week × 4.33 weeks, rounded to the nearest $50. Local prices vary.
What the hourly rate buys
The surveyed figure is for a non-medical caregiver: someone who comes to the house and helps with the things that have become hard. Agencies package that help under different names, and the names matter less than what is on the care plan.
| Kind of help | What it covers | How it is billed | National figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companion or homemaker care | Company, light housekeeping, meals, errands, rides, a check that pills were taken. | By the hour, with a minimum shift. | Within the surveyed $35-an-hour median for in-home care. |
| Personal care (home care aide) | Hands-on help: bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, and supervision for someone with memory loss. | By the hour; some agencies charge a little more for hands-on care or for two-person transfers. | Within the surveyed $35-an-hour median for in-home care. |
| Skilled home health | Nursing, physical or occupational therapy, wound care, ordered by a doctor. | Per visit, through a Medicare-certified agency; Medicare pays when the person is homebound and needs intermittent skilled care. | Not in the survey. Check agencies with the home health checker. |
| Adult day health | Daytime supervision, meals, activities, and some health monitoring at a center, while the family works. | Per day, typically five days a week. | $2,058 a month (national median). |
| Overnight and 24-hour care | A caregiver present through the night, or around the clock. | Hourly for awake overnight and 24-hour shifts; a daily rate for live-in care, where the caregiver sleeps in the home. | About $25,450 a month for round-the-clock hourly care at the national rate. Live-in is quoted per day by each agency. |
| Respite care | Short-term cover so the family caregiver can rest, travel, or recover. | By the hour or the day, at the same rates as regular care; some Area Agencies on Aging and VA programs subsidise it. | Same hourly median. |
Source: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, national medians for in-home care and adult day health; the 24-hour figure is the hourly median × 168 hours × 4.33 weeks. Skilled home health is not in the survey.
What a week of help costs each month
Agencies quote by the hour. Families budget by the month. At the national median of $35 an hour, here is what common schedules add up to (hours a week × 4.33 weeks, rounded to the nearest $50):
| Hours a week | What it looks like | About this a month |
|---|---|---|
| 10 hours | A few mornings a week | $1,500 |
| 20 hours | Half days, most days | $3,050 |
| 30 hours | Most of the day, weekdays | $4,550 |
| 40 hours | A full working week | $6,050 |
| 56 hours | Eight hours, every day | $8,500 |
| 84 hours | Twelve hours, every day | $12,750 |
| 168 hours | Round the clock, hourly | $25,450 |
Source: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 national median ($35 an hour) × hours a week × 4.33 weeks, rounded to the nearest $50.
The crossover with assisted living ($6,200 a month nationally) comes at about 41 hours a week. Below that, home care is the cheaper option on paper. Above it, assisted living usually is, and the house's own costs stay on top of the home care bill either way. Home care vs. assisted living: the real cost math works the comparison through, including the costs the headline numbers hide.
What changes the rate
- Agency or independent caregiver. An agency handles screening, payroll taxes, liability insurance, and a replacement when someone is sick, and charges for it. Hiring privately is often cheaper per hour, but the family becomes the employer, with the tax and insurance duties that go with it. How to vet an in-home agency covers what to check either way.
- Hours and minimums. Most agencies set a minimum shift of three or four hours. A daily 90-minute visit is billed as three hours.
- Nights, weekends, and holidays. Expect a higher rate for awake overnight shifts and for holidays.
- Level of need. Hands-on care, dementia care, and two-person transfers can carry a higher rate than companionship.
- Where your parent lives. The state medians below run from $24 an hour in Mississippi to $46 in Wyoming, and rates vary again between a city and the countryside within a state.
The five lowest and five highest hourly medians
Lowest
- Mississippi: $24 an hour, about $2,100 a month at 20 hours a week.
- Arkansas: $25 an hour, about $2,150 a month at 20 hours a week.
- Louisiana: $26 an hour, about $2,250 a month at 20 hours a week.
- Alabama: $27 an hour, about $2,350 a month at 20 hours a week.
- New Mexico: $30 an hour, about $2,600 a month at 20 hours a week.
Highest
- Wyoming: $46 an hour, about $4,000 a month at 20 hours a week.
- Washington: $45 an hour, about $3,900 a month at 20 hours a week.
- Vermont: $45 an hour, about $3,900 a month at 20 hours a week.
- Maine: $45 an hour, about $3,900 a month at 20 hours a week.
- South Dakota: $44 an hour, about $3,800 a month at 20 hours a week.
Every state, side by side, with assisted living and nursing home figures too: care costs by state.
How families pay for it
Medicare does not pay for non-medical home care, which surprises most families. The routes that do work are long-term care insurance, Medicaid home and community-based waivers for those who qualify, VA Aid and Attendance for some veterans and surviving spouses, and the family's own money, sometimes including the house. How to pay for home care walks through each one, and the can-we-afford-this calculator shows the monthly gap against income and savings for your parent's state.
See whether home care is the right level
The assessment gives you a clear summary of the options worth discussing, with your state's figures built in.
Start the free assessment →Questions people ask about home care costs
How much does home care cost per hour?
The national median for a non-medical in-home caregiver is $35 an hour (CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025). State medians run from $24 in Mississippi to $46 in Wyoming. Agencies quote an hourly rate plus a minimum shift, commonly three or four hours, so a short daily visit costs more per hour of actual help than a longer one.
How much does home care cost per month?
It depends on the hours. At the national median rate, 20 hours a week is about $3,050 a month, 40 hours a week about $6,050, and eight hours every day about $8,500. The schedule table on this page shows the full range, and each state page shows the same maths at that state's rate.
How much does 24-hour home care cost?
Billed by the hour at the national median, round-the-clock care is about $25,450 a month, which is why families compare it against a nursing home at $9,581. Live-in care is priced differently: a daily rate for a caregiver who sleeps in the home, usually lower than 24 hourly hours because sleeping time is treated separately, with rules that vary by state. Ask any agency to quote both ways.
Does Medicare pay for home care?
Not the non-medical kind. Medicare does not pay for help with bathing, meals, or companionship, which is what the hourly figure on this page covers. It does cover intermittent skilled home health (nursing, physical therapy, wound care) ordered by a doctor for someone who is homebound. Medicaid waivers, VA benefits, and long-term care insurance are the usual routes for ongoing non-medical care; how to pay for home care walks through each.
Is home care cheaper than assisted living?
Up to a point. At national medians, in-home care costs the same as assisted living ($6,200 a month) at about 41 hours a week. Below that, home care is cheaper; above it, assisted living usually is, and the house's own costs (mortgage or rent, utilities, food, upkeep) stay on top of the home care bill. Home care vs. assisted living: the real cost math works the crossover through.
What is the difference between home care and home health care?
Home care is non-medical: a caregiver helping with daily living, paid by the hour, usually out of pocket. Home health care is skilled medical care at home from a Medicare-certified agency, ordered by a doctor and billed per visit. Our home health agency checker covers the certified, skilled kind; how to vet an in-home agency covers the private-pay kind.
Source: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 (surveyed July–November 2025), national and state median figures for non-medical in-home care and adult day health. Monthly totals are the hourly median × hours a week × 4.33, rounded to $50; the assisted living crossover is the assisted living median ÷ (hourly median × 4.33). Local prices vary, sometimes widely within a state.