In-Home Care Cost by State (2026)
In-home care costs $6,769 a month in the middle state, across 50 states with published 2025 figures. Half of states fall between $6,221 and $7,627. Mississippi is the least expensive at $4,576 and Wyoming the most expensive at $8,771. Monthly figures for in-home care are quoted at 44 hours a week, the survey standard.
Based on 2025 survey data.
Median monthly price, the United States
$6,769/mo
Range across state medians $6,221 – $7,627 how this range is derived
● the United States $6,769
What this national number is, and what it is not
This is a median of 50 state medians, not a survey of households. Each state contributes one figure regardless of how many people live there, so a small state moves the number exactly as much as a large one. Read it as the typical state, not the typical family. 1 of the 51 state-level jurisdictions we track has no published 2025 figure for in-home care, so it is absent from the calculation rather than filled in with a guess. Your own cost depends on the metro you are in, the level of care, and the room type, which is why the state and city pages carry a narrower figure than this one.
Why our figure differs from other sites. Most published national numbers are means, and a mean is pulled upward by a handful of very expensive states. We report the middle state instead, so one outlier cannot move it. Other sites may also use a different survey year, or an average of facility prices rather than of state medians. Every figure here states its source and period so you can compare like with like.
The hourly math: what the schedule costs
Every figure below is $35 an hour times the hours, times 52 weeks, divided by 12 months.
In-home care is billed by the hour, so the monthly number moves with the schedule more than with anything else. The middle state works out to $35 an hour: that is the $6,769 monthly median divided by 44 hours a week over 52 weeks. Multiply the rate by the hours you actually need.
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Overnight and live-in arrangements are often priced as a flat daily rate rather than by the hour, so the 24/7 row is an upper bound on what an agency would quote, not a quote.
What can you afford?
Every family starts with a number. Here is roughly what each monthly budget buys at national midpoints. Bands shift with your state, so check the state page before planning against them.
Part-time home care or entry assisted living
Assisted living with room to spare
Nursing care or heavy home-care schedules
How people pay for in-home care
Almost nobody pays for long-term care out of one pocket. Most families start with savings and income, then add a second source once the first thins out. The five payers below are ordered by how often they carry the bill, not by how much they pay. Eligibility for the government programs is set state by state, so the state page is where the rules get specific.
- 1. Private pay (savings, income, home equity)Most common
The default payer for most families at the start, especially for assisted living and in-home care. Often combined with a second source once savings run low.
- 2. Long-term care insuranceCommon
Pays toward care costs if a policy was purchased in advance, usually years before care is needed. Policy terms (daily/monthly benefit caps, elimination periods) vary widely. Check the policy documents directly.
- 3. Medicaid (state-run, income- and asset-limited)Common
Covers nursing home care in every state, and many states offer Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers that extend Medicaid to assisted living or in-home care. Eligibility rules and waiver availability are state-specific.
- 4. VA Aid & Attendance (veterans and surviving spouses)Situational
An added benefit on top of a VA pension for eligible wartime veterans (or surviving spouses) who need help with daily activities. Requires meeting service, income, and care-need criteria.
- 5. MedicareNarrow eligibility
Does not cover long-term custodial care (help with daily living). It can cover short-term skilled nursing or home health following a qualifying hospital stay, under specific conditions.
- This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Program rules vary by state and change over time. Confirm current eligibility with Medicaid.gov, the VA, or a licensed elder-law advisor.
In-Home Care cost by state
Open a state for its own range, city detail, and funding rules.
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive state is the single largest thing on this page. Wyoming at $8,771 more than 92 percent Mississippi at $4,576 for the same category of in-home care. Local wages, real estate, and staffing rules drive most of that, which is why a national figure is a starting point and a state figure is the one to plan against.
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Blank rows are honest. A state with no figure means we have no published source for it, not that care is unavailable there. We would rather show a gap than a guess.
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How to cite this page
Cite this: According to ElderCareCosts' 2026 index, in-home care in the United States costs $6,769/month (median, 2025 data) at the 44-hour-a-week survey standard.
APA: ElderCareCosts Research. (2026). In-Home Care Cost by State, United States (2025). ElderCareCosts. Retrieved September 16, 2026, from https://www.eldercarecosts.com/cost-of-care/in-home-care/
Chicago: ElderCareCosts Research. "In-Home Care Cost by State, United States (2025)." ElderCareCosts. Last modified August 10, 2026. Accessed September 16, 2026. https://www.eldercarecosts.com/cost-of-care/in-home-care/.
These figures may be quoted and reproduced with attribution and a link back to this page. No permission needed. Methodology · Data sources · Who produces this · Corrections
Frequently asked questions
How much does in-home care cost?
$6,769 a month in the middle state, across 50 states with published 2025 figures. Half of states fall between $6,221 and $7,627. Your state's own figure is in the table above and is the better number to plan against.
Why does in-home care cost so much more in some states?
Direct-care wages are the largest single input, and they track the local labor market. Real estate, staffing ratios set by state regulation, and general cost of living account for most of the rest.
Is this a national average?
No. It is the median of 50 state medians, so every state counts once regardless of population. A mean would sit higher because a few expensive states pull it up.
Can I get the raw data?
Yes. The CSV on this page has one row per state plus a national summary row, with the period, methodology version, and source tags on every row. Reuse it with attribution.
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Trust and methodology
The state figures on this page come from BLS wage data, May 2025, 2025 cost of care survey, carried under methodology cost-model-v1.4.0. The national row is computed from those state figures on this page and is not itself a survey result.
We check the model against rates a state publishes itself where we can find them. Connecticut posts per-agency private-pay rates, and for in-home care the modeled Connecticut figure lands within 3 percent of the observed statewide median of those filings. That is one state and two care types, not a national accuracy claim, and it is the only such check we have published so far.
We correct figures in public when a source revises or we get one wrong. If a number here does not match what a provider quoted you, tell us and we will check it.