Get paid to care for family in Essex County
Most of the 159,800 people in Essex County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Massachusetts Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Essex County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 159,800
- Aged 85+
- 17,500
- Rank in MA
- 2nd
- Median age
- 41.1
19% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 14 counties, by residents 65+
close to the national average
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Essex 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 Essex
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 159,800 people in Essex County are 65 or older — 19% of everyone who lives here. That tracks with Massachusetts as a whole. Roughly 17,500 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Essex 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, 1.3 million people in Massachusetts are 65 or older — 19% of the state, across 14 counties.
What Massachusetts pays family caregivers
$20.00–$22.40/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 Essex County
Massachusetts sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Lynn and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Essex County:
- Lynn103,489
- Lawrence89,332
- Haverhill68,291
- Peabody55,418
- Methuen54,272
- Salem45,677
- Beverly43,223
- Andover36,927
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Essex apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Essex 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 →Essex questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Essex County?
Yes. Massachusetts runs real Medicaid programs — like PCA Program — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Essex County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Essex County?
Family caregivers in Massachusetts typically earn $20.00–$22.40/hr. The rate is the same across the state, including Essex County.
Where do families in Essex County apply?
Families in Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex County might need this?
159,800 residents of Essex County are 65 or older and about 17,500 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 Essex do you cover?
All of Essex County — including Lynn, Lawrence, Haverhill, Peabody and Methuen. 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.
Guides
For families in Essex County
Start with the Massachusetts caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to Essex
The counties Essex 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.