Get paid to care for family in Pottawattamie County
Most of the 18,500 people in Pottawattamie County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Iowa Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Pottawattamie County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 18,500
- Aged 85+
- 1,920
- Rank in IA
- 7th
- Median age
- 40.7
20% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 99 counties, by residents 65+
close to the national average
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Pottawattamie County is a smaller-city county (Rural-Urban Continuum Code 2).
- 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 Pottawattamie
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 18,500 people in Pottawattamie County are 65 or older — 20% of everyone who lives here. That tracks with Iowa as a whole. Roughly 1,920 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. There are only so many home-care agencies in a county this size, and the ones that are here do not always cover evenings, weekends, or the far end of the county.
Statewide, 612,400 people in Iowa are 65 or older — 19% of the state, across 99 counties.
What Iowa pays family caregivers
$2,691/month
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Iowa Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Iowa's programs at a glance
- Consumer Choices Option (CCO)
- CDAC (agency-delivered)
- Spouse paid?
- Not right now
- Parent paid for a child?
- Not right now
- Waitlist
- Some programs have no waitlist.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Iowa guide →
Towns and cities in Pottawattamie County
Iowa sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Council Bluffs and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Pottawattamie County:
- Council Bluffs62,665
- Carter Lake3,752
- Avoca1,685
- Oakland1,519
- Treynor1,104
- Underwood973
- Neola917
- Carson772
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Pottawattamie apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Pottawattamie County start with Iowa's program:
Apply for Medicaid and the appropriate HCBS waiver through Iowa HHS (hhs.iowa.gov or a local office, 800-338-8366); after waiver approval and level-of-care assessment, ask the case manager to enroll in the Consumer Choices Option.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Iowa program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Pottawattamie questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Pottawattamie County?
Yes. Iowa runs real Medicaid programs — like Consumer Choices Option (CCO) — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Pottawattamie County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Pottawattamie County?
Reported figures in Iowa are around $2,691/month, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Pottawattamie County apply?
Families in Pottawattamie County start with the state, not the county. Apply for Medicaid and the appropriate HCBS waiver through Iowa HHS (hhs.iowa.gov or a local office, 800-338-8366); after waiver approval and level-of-care assessment, ask the case manager to enroll in the Consumer Choices Option.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Pottawattamie County?
Not right now — but other family members often can be. The fine print for Iowa: no — a spouse cannot be the paid attendant under CDAC or CCO
How many people in Pottawattamie County might need this?
18,500 residents of Pottawattamie County are 65 or older and about 1,920 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. Iowa's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Pottawattamie do you cover?
All of Pottawattamie County — including Council Bluffs, Carter Lake, Avoca, Oakland and Treynor. Eligibility is set by Iowa, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Iowa'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 Pottawattamie County
Start with the Iowa caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to Pottawattamie
The counties Pottawattamie 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.
Find out in 2 minutes
Answer 5 easy questions. See your programs and pay before you share any contact info.