Suffolk County, MA
Get paid to care for your family member in Suffolk County, Massachusetts
About 110,300 people in Suffolk County are 65 or older — 14% of everyone who lives here. Suffolk County skews younger than Massachusetts overall, but the families caring for an older parent here face the same bills. Roughly 13,000 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Suffolk 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.
Who needs care in Suffolk
- People 65 and older
- 110,300
- People 85 and older
- 13,000
- Median age
- 34.2
- Rank in Massachusetts
- 6th
14% of Suffolk residents
the age daily help usually starts
younger than the country as a whole
of 14 counties, by residents 65+
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Suffolk County is a large metro county (USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Code 1). 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 Suffolk County
Massachusetts sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Boston and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Suffolk County:
- Boston673,458
- Revere60,702
- Chelsea40,245
- Winthrop Town18,739
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Suffolk apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Suffolk 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 →Suffolk questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Suffolk County?
Yes. Massachusetts runs real Medicaid programs — like PCA Program — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Suffolk County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Suffolk County?
Family caregivers in Massachusetts typically earn $19.50–$23.25/hr. The rate is the same across the state, including Suffolk County.
Where do families in Suffolk County apply?
Families in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk County might need this?
110,300 residents of Suffolk County are 65 or older and about 13,000 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 Suffolk do you cover?
All of Suffolk County — including Boston, Revere, Chelsea and Winthrop Town. 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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