Sacramento County, CA
Get paid to care for your family member in Sacramento County, California
About 258,400 people in Sacramento County are 65 or older — 16% of everyone who lives here. That tracks with California as a whole. Roughly 27,800 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Sacramento 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.
Who needs care in Sacramento
- People 65 and older
- 258,400
- People 85 and older
- 27,800
- Median age
- 37.9
- Rank in California
- 8th
16% of Sacramento residents
the age daily help usually starts
close to the national average
of 58 counties, by residents 65+
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Sacramento County is a large metro county (USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Code 1). California as a whole is 17% aged 65 or older.
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 Sacramento County
California sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Sacramento and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Sacramento County:
- Sacramento535,798
- Elk Grove182,797
- Folsom88,091
- Citrus Heights86,909
- Rancho Cordova84,113
- Galt26,589
- Isleton781
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Sacramento apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Sacramento 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 →Sacramento questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Sacramento County?
Yes. California runs real Medicaid programs — like IHSS (In-Home Supportive Services) — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Sacramento County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Sacramento County?
Family caregivers in California typically earn $16.90–$22/hr. The rate is the same across the state, including Sacramento County.
Where do families in Sacramento County apply?
Families in Sacramento 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 Sacramento 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 Sacramento County might need this?
258,400 residents of Sacramento County are 65 or older and about 27,800 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 Sacramento do you cover?
All of Sacramento County — including Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom, Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova. 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.
More California counties
The programs are the same statewide — pick your county:
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