Dukes County, MA
Get paid to care for your family member in Dukes County, Massachusetts
About 6,060 people in Dukes County are 65 or older — 29% of everyone who lives here. That is an older county than Massachusetts overall, so more families here are already doing this work. Roughly 509 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. In a rural county, an agency aide may be a long drive away — when one is available at all. That is exactly why the state lets you be the paid caregiver instead.
Who needs care in Dukes
- People 65 and older
- 6,060
- People 85 and older
- 509
- Median age
- 50.8
- Rank in Massachusetts
- 13th
29% of Dukes residents
the age daily help usually starts
older than the country as a whole
of 14 counties, by residents 65+
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Dukes County is a rural county (USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Code 7). Massachusetts as a whole is 19% aged 65 or older.
What Massachusetts pays family caregivers
$19.50–$23.25/hr
Source: Massachusetts Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Massachusetts's programs at a glance
- PCA Program
- Adult Foster Care (AFC)
- Frail Elder Waiver
- Spouse paid?
- Not right now
- Parent paid for a child?
- Not right now
- Waitlist
- No waitlist.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Massachusetts guide →
Towns and cities in Dukes County
Massachusetts sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Oak Bluffs and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Dukes County:
- Oak Bluffs5,407
- Edgartown5,328
- Tisbury4,927
- West Tisbury3,637
- Chilmark1,249
- Aquinnah451
- Gosnold62
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Dukes apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Dukes County start with Massachusetts's program:
Apply for MassHealth via the Application for Health Coverage for Seniors/Long-Term Care to a MassHealth Enrollment Center, then get a PCA evaluation through a Personal Care Management agency (or contact an AFC provider agency for AFC).
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Massachusetts program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Dukes questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Dukes County?
Yes. Massachusetts runs real Medicaid programs — like PCA Program — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Dukes County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Dukes County?
Family caregivers in Massachusetts typically earn $19.50–$23.25/hr. The rate is the same across the state, including Dukes County.
Where do families in Dukes County apply?
Families in Dukes County start with the state, not the county. Apply for MassHealth via the Application for Health Coverage for Seniors/Long-Term Care to a MassHealth Enrollment Center, then get a PCA evaluation through a Personal Care Management agency (or contact an AFC provider agency for AFC).
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Dukes County?
Not right now — but other family members often can be. The fine print for Massachusetts: no — spouse barred as legally responsible relative in both PCA and AFC
How many people in Dukes County might need this?
6,060 residents of Dukes County are 65 or older and about 509 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. Massachusetts's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Dukes do you cover?
All of Dukes County — including Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, Tisbury, West Tisbury and Chilmark. Eligibility is set by Massachusetts, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Massachusetts's published Medicaid program rules · Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.
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