Get paid to care for family in New Castle County
Most of the 105,800 people in New Castle County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Delaware Medicaid can pay you for that work.
New Castle County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 105,800
- Aged 85+
- 10,900
- Rank in DE
- 1st
- Median age
- 39.5
18% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 3 counties, by residents 65+
close to the national average
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). New Castle 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 New Castle
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 105,800 people in New Castle County are 65 or older — 18% of everyone who lives here. New Castle County skews younger than Delaware overall, but the families caring for an older parent here face the same bills. Roughly 10,900 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. New Castle 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, 229,000 people in Delaware are 65 or older — 22% of the state, across 3 counties.
What Delaware pays family caregivers
$13–$21/hr
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Delaware Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Delaware's programs at a glance
- DSHP-Plus self-directed care
- 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 Delaware guide →
Towns and cities in New Castle County
Delaware sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Wilmington and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in New Castle County:
- Wilmington73,176
- Newark30,506
- Middletown25,686
- Elsmere6,234
- New Castle5,715
- Townsend2,941
- Delaware City1,933
- Bellefonte1,249
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in New Castle apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in New Castle County start with Delaware's program:
Call the DMMA Central Intake Unit at 866-940-8963 to request an application; eligibility determination (financial + nursing-facility level of care) can take up to 3 months.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Delaware program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →New Castle questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in New Castle County?
Yes. Delaware runs real Medicaid programs — like DSHP-Plus self-directed care — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in New Castle County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in New Castle County?
Reported figures in Delaware are around $13–$21/hr, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in New Castle County apply?
Families in New Castle County start with the state, not the county. Call the DMMA Central Intake Unit at 866-940-8963 to request an application; eligibility determination (financial + nursing-facility level of care) can take up to 3 months.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in New Castle County?
Sometimes — it depends on the program. The fine print for Delaware: limited — DSHP-Plus managed care policy bars people legally responsible for the member from serving as the paid attendant; confirm any spouse arrangement with the MCO
How many people in New Castle County might need this?
105,800 residents of New Castle County are 65 or older and about 10,900 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. Delaware's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in New Castle do you cover?
All of New Castle County — including Wilmington, Newark, Middletown, Elsmere and New Castle. Eligibility is set by Delaware, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Delaware'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 New Castle County
Start with the Delaware caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to New Castle
The counties New Castle touches, by Census boundaries — a few of those borders run across water. Ones marked with a state abbreviation are across the line, and their rules are their state's, not this one's.
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