Get paid to care for family in Suffolk County
Most of the 110,300 people in Suffolk County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Massachusetts Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Suffolk County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 110,300
- Aged 85+
- 13,000
- Rank in MA
- 6th
- Median age
- 34.2
14% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 14 counties, by residents 65+
younger than the country
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Suffolk 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 Suffolk
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
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.
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 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 $20.00–$22.40/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.
Guides
For families in Suffolk County
Start with the Massachusetts caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to Suffolk
The counties Suffolk touches, by Census boundaries — a few of those borders run across water.
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