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Get paid to care for family in Marin County

Most of the 64,100 people in Marin County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. California Medicaid can pay you for that work.

Marin County at a glance

Aged 65+
64,100

25% of residents

Aged 85+
7,850

when daily help usually starts

Rank in CA
23rd

of 58 counties, by residents 65+

Median age
47.9

older than the country

The front porch of an ordinary home, typical of Marin County

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Marin 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 Marin

What being a paid caregiver looks like here

About 64,100 people in Marin County are 65 or older — 25% of everyone who lives here. That is an older county than California overall, so more families here are already doing this work. Roughly 7,850 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Marin 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 Marin County

California sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in San Rafael and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Marin County:

  • San Rafael59,961
  • Novato52,311
  • Mill Valley13,904
  • Larkspur12,807
  • San Anselmo12,645
  • Corte Madera10,006
  • Tiburon8,933
  • Fairfax7,476

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.

How families in Marin apply

You do not need a county office to start. Families in Marin 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 →

Marin questions, answered honestly

Can I get paid to care for a family member in Marin County?

Yes. California runs real Medicaid programs — like IHSS (In-Home Supportive Services) — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Marin County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.

How much do family caregivers earn in Marin County?

Family caregivers in California typically earn $16.90–$22/hr. The rate is the same across the state, including Marin County.

Where do families in Marin County apply?

Families in Marin 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 Marin 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 Marin County might need this?

64,100 residents of Marin County are 65 or older and about 7,850 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 Marin do you cover?

All of Marin County — including San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, Larkspur and San Anselmo. 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.

Nearby

Counties next to Marin

The counties Marin touches, by Census boundaries — a few of those borders run across water.

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