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How Much Does Private Home Care Cost Per Hour?
Date Updated: December 16, 2024
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Sarah has produced thousands of articles in diverse niches over her decade-long career as a full-time freelance writer. This includes substantial content in the fields of senior care and health care. She has experience writing about wide-ranging topics, such as types of care, care costs, funding options, state Medicaid programs and senior resources.
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Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a health care professional, researcher, and an experienced medical writer (2000+ articles published online and several medical ebooks). She received her MD degree from “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine, Romania, and her HD diploma from OCHM – Toronto, Canada.
Private home care costs about $30 per hour across the United States in 2024, according to Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey. However, the median price differs significantly across the nation. The tailored services required also affect how much an agency charges per hour.
Home Care Costs Throughout the United States
Nationally, nonmedical home care runs $30 an hour. However, seniors who require medical or therapeutic services pay an enhanced hourly rate of about $33 for home health care. These figures equate to roughly $5,720 monthly for home care and $6,292 for home health care, based on 44 weekly care hours. For comparison, median monthly costs stand at $2,058 for adult day health care, $5,350 for assisted living and $8,669 for a semi-private room in a nursing home. Exact fees vary significantly.
The most affordable states for home care include Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, where hourly fees stand around $15, $19, $20 and $21, respectively. On the other hand, the priciest places for in-home care include Montana ($50), New Mexico ($45) and Washington ($44). Minnesota, Illinois and Maryland share the national mid-point price of $30.
Paying for Private Home Care with Benefits
Various benefits help seniors with limited means pay for essential in-home support. Eligibility and service coverage vary, but most states fund part-time home care through regular Medicaid plans or waiver programs. VA benefits also cover homemaker assistance. Medicare covers nonmedical support in an individual’s home in limited situations, namely, when people need personal care alongside skilled services. Coverage doesn’t include domestic assistance or companionship.
Additionally, free or low-cost community programs operate in many areas to further support older adults aging in place. For example, senior centers typically offer leisure activities and social events alongside transportation, congregate meals and advice clinics related to health, finances and legal matters. Further localized initiatives include:
- Home-delivered meals
- Senior wellness checks or companion visits
- Home maintenance
- Weatherization
- Home adaptations
- Transportation
- Energy assistance
- Water assistance
- Legal advice
- Health insurance counseling
Other Ways to Pay for Private In-Home Care
Sometimes, individuals don’t qualify for public assistance and must find other ways to pay for home care services. Although they don't directly pay for home care, subsidized community programs help free up funds to cover care costs. Many older adults use private income or assets to pay for in-home care, including:
- Social Security benefits
- Pensions
- Property rental income
- Wages
- Bank savings
- Bonds
- Shares
- Trusts
- Annuities
Families may provide financial help to older members. Many long-term care insurance policies cover home care when seniors meet specific trigger criteria, such as needing assistance with several activities of daily living or receiving a dementia diagnosis. Other options include cashing in life insurance policies, securing a bank loan or using home equity to take out a second mortgage or reverse mortgage.