Get paid to care for family in Los Angeles County
Most of the 1.6 million people in Los Angeles County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. California Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Los Angeles County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 1.6 million
- Aged 85+
- 184,800
- Rank in CA
- 1st
- Median age
- 38.7
16% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 58 counties, by residents 65+
close to the national average
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Los Angeles County is a large metro county (Rural-Urban Continuum Code 1).
- 50 + DC
- states covered
- 3,144
- counties with local data
- $0
- it is always free to apply
- 2 min
- to see if you qualify
Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Rules from each state's published Medicaid program
Care in Los Angeles
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 1.6 million people in Los Angeles County are 65 or older — 16% of everyone who lives here. That tracks with California as a whole. Roughly 184,800 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Los Angeles County is one of the state's biggest population centers, and home-care agencies do work here — but staffing is thin, schedules change, and a stranger in the house is not what every family wants.
Statewide, 6.5 million people in California are 65 or older — 17% of the state, across 58 counties.
What California pays family caregivers
$16.90–$22/hr
Source: California Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
California's programs at a glance
- IHSS (In-Home Supportive Services)
- Spouse paid?
- Sometimes
- Parent paid for a child?
- Yes
- Waitlist
- No waitlist.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full California guide →
Towns and cities in Los Angeles County
California sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Los Angeles and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Los Angeles County:
- Los Angeles3,878,704
- Long Beach450,901
- Santa Clarita229,159
- Glendale187,823
- Lancaster167,426
- Palmdale162,536
- Pomona147,966
- Torrance139,576
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Los Angeles apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Los Angeles County start with California's program:
Contact the IHSS office in your county and submit an Application for In-Home Supportive Services (SOC 295); a county social worker then does an in-home needs assessment.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which California program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Los Angeles questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Los Angeles County?
Yes. California runs real Medicaid programs — like IHSS (In-Home Supportive Services) — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Los Angeles County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Los Angeles County?
Family caregivers in California typically earn $16.90–$22/hr. The rate is the same across the state, including Los Angeles County.
Where do families in Los Angeles County apply?
Families in Los Angeles County start with the state, not the county. Contact the IHSS office in your county and submit an Application for In-Home Supportive Services (SOC 295); a county social worker then does an in-home needs assessment.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Los Angeles County?
Sometimes — it depends on the program. The fine print for California: limited — a spouse can be a paid IHSS provider but under the 'able and available spouse' rule is compensable only for personal care and paramedical services, not domestic/related services
How many people in Los Angeles County might need this?
1.6 million residents of Los Angeles County are 65 or older and about 184,800 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. California's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Los Angeles do you cover?
All of Los Angeles County — including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Glendale and Lancaster. Eligibility is set by California, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from California's published Medicaid program rules · Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.
Guides
For families in Los Angeles County
Start with the California caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to Los Angeles
The counties Los Angeles touches, by Census boundaries — a few of those borders run across water.
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