Cherokee County, AL
Get paid to care for your family member in Cherokee County, Alabama
About 6,740 people in Cherokee County are 65 or older — 26% of everyone who lives here. That is an older county than Alabama overall, so more families here are already doing this work. Roughly 619 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Out here, hiring an outside agency often is not realistic at all. Being paid to do the care yourself is not a workaround — it is how these programs were designed to work.
Who needs care in Cherokee
- People 65 and older
- 6,740
- People 85 and older
- 619
- Median age
- 48.2
- Rank in Alabama
- 35th
26% of Cherokee residents
the age daily help usually starts
older than the country as a whole
of 67 counties, by residents 65+
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Cherokee County is one of the most rural counties in the country (USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Code 8). Alabama as a whole is 19% aged 65 or older.
What Alabama pays family caregivers
$2,320/month
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Alabama Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Alabama's programs at a glance
- Personal Choices
- E&D Waiver
- ACT Waiver
- SAIL Waiver
- Spouse paid?
- Sometimes
- Parent paid for a child?
- Not right now
- Waitlist
- Some programs have no waitlist.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Alabama guide →
Towns and cities in Cherokee County
Alabama sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Centre and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Cherokee County:
- Centre3,845
- Cedar Bluff1,932
- Leesburg1,006
- Sand Rock582
- Gaylesville177
- Collinsville13
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Cherokee apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Cherokee County start with Alabama's program:
Contact your local Area Agency on Aging via AgeLine 1-800-243-5463 (or 1-877-425-2243), or submit Form 204/205 to your Medicaid District Office; enrollees then opt into Personal Choices.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Alabama program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Cherokee questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Cherokee County?
Yes. Alabama runs real Medicaid programs — like Personal Choices — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Cherokee County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Cherokee County?
Reported figures in Alabama are around $2,320/month, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Cherokee County apply?
Families in Cherokee County start with the state, not the county. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging via AgeLine 1-800-243-5463 (or 1-877-425-2243), or submit Form 204/205 to your Medicaid District Office; enrollees then opt into Personal Choices.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Cherokee County?
Sometimes — it depends on the program. The fine print for Alabama: limited — Personal Choices allows sons, daughters, adult grandchildren, nieces/nephews and 'in some cases, spouses'; caregiver must be 18+ and pass background screening
How many people in Cherokee County might need this?
6,740 residents of Cherokee County are 65 or older and about 619 are 85 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 population estimates. Most of them are cared for at home by a relative rather than in a facility. Alabama's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Cherokee do you cover?
All of Cherokee County — including Centre, Cedar Bluff, Leesburg, Sand Rock and Gaylesville. Eligibility is set by Alabama, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Alabama's published Medicaid program rules · Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.
More Alabama counties
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