Get paid to care for family in Lake County
Most of the 121,600 people in Lake County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Illinois Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Lake County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 121,600
- Aged 85+
- 12,700
- Rank in IL
- 3rd
- Median age
- 39.6
17% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 102 counties, by residents 65+
close to the national average
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Lake 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 Lake
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 121,600 people in Lake County are 65 or older — 17% of everyone who lives here. That tracks with Illinois as a whole. Roughly 12,700 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Lake 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, 2.3 million people in Illinois are 65 or older — 18% of the state, across 102 counties.
What Illinois pays family caregivers
$18–$20/hr
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Illinois Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Illinois's programs at a glance
- Community Care Program (CCP)
- Home Services Program (HSP)
- MFTD Waiver (children)
- Spouse paid?
- Sometimes
- Parent paid for a child?
- Sometimes
- Waitlist
- Some programs have no waitlist.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Illinois guide →
Towns and cities in Lake County
Illinois sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Waukegan and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Lake County:
- Waukegan88,570
- Mundelein32,641
- Highland Park30,794
- North Chicago30,639
- Gurnee30,546
- Buffalo Grove29,563
- Round Lake Beach27,091
- Vernon Hills27,002
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Lake apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Lake County start with Illinois's program:
Age 60+: call the Senior HelpLine 800-252-8966 to reach the local Care Coordination Unit for a CCP assessment; under 60: apply through the local DHS-DRS Home Services Program office; medically fragile children: contact UIC DSCC.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Illinois program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Lake questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Lake County?
Yes. Illinois runs real Medicaid programs — like Community Care Program (CCP) — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Lake County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Lake County?
Reported figures in Illinois are around $18–$20/hr, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Lake County apply?
Families in Lake County start with the state, not the county. Age 60+: call the Senior HelpLine 800-252-8966 to reach the local Care Coordination Unit for a CCP assessment; under 60: apply through the local DHS-DRS Home Services Program office; medically fragile children: contact UIC DSCC.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Lake County?
Sometimes — it depends on the program. The fine print for Illinois: limited — CCP: yes, any family member including a spouse may be hired (recent expansion, via agency with background check + 24-hr training); HSP: no, spouses excluded as legally responsible relatives
How many people in Lake County might need this?
121,600 residents of Lake County are 65 or older and about 12,700 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. Illinois's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Lake do you cover?
All of Lake County — including Waukegan, Mundelein, Highland Park, North Chicago and Gurnee. Eligibility is set by Illinois, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Illinois'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 Lake County
Start with the Illinois caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to Lake
The counties Lake 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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