Get paid to care for family in St. Louis County
Most of the 199,300 people in St. Louis County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Missouri Medicaid can pay you for that work.
St. Louis County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 199,300
- Aged 85+
- 22,600
- Rank in MO
- 1st
- Median age
- 40.6
20% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 115 counties, by residents 65+
older than the country
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). St. Louis 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 St. Louis County
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 199,300 people in St. Louis County are 65 or older — 20% of everyone who lives here. That tracks with Missouri as a whole. Roughly 22,600 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. St. Louis 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, 1.2 million people in Missouri are 65 or older — 19% of the state, across 115 counties.
What Missouri pays family caregivers
$12–$20/hr
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Missouri Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Missouri's programs at a glance
- Consumer Directed Services (CDS)
- Structured Family Caregiving Waiver
- Spouse paid?
- Sometimes
- 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 Missouri guide →
Towns and cities in St. Louis County
Missouri sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Florissant and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in St. Louis County:
- Florissant51,290
- Chesterfield49,465
- Wildwood35,082
- University City34,349
- Ballwin31,036
- Kirkwood29,348
- Maryland Heights27,671
- Hazelwood24,951
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in St. Louis County apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in St. Louis County start with Missouri's program:
Apply for MO HealthNet (myDSS online or 855-373-9994), then submit an HCBS referral (866-835-3505 or online HCBS referral form) for a DSDS in-home assessment.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Missouri program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →St. Louis County questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in St. Louis County?
Yes. Missouri runs real Medicaid programs — like Consumer Directed Services (CDS) — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in St. Louis County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in St. Louis County?
Reported figures in Missouri are around $12–$20/hr, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in St. Louis County apply?
Families in St. Louis County start with the state, not the county. Apply for MO HealthNet (myDSS online or 855-373-9994), then submit an HCBS referral (866-835-3505 or online HCBS referral form) for a DSDS in-home assessment.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in St. Louis County?
Sometimes — it depends on the program. The fine print for Missouri: limited — CDS bars spouses and legal guardians; SFCW explicitly allows a spouse or legal guardian to be the paid live-in caregiver (dementia diagnosis required)
How many people in St. Louis County might need this?
199,300 residents of St. Louis County are 65 or older and about 22,600 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. Missouri's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in St. Louis County do you cover?
All of St. Louis County — including Florissant, Chesterfield, Wildwood, University City and Ballwin. Eligibility is set by Missouri, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Missouri'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 St. Louis County
Start with the Missouri caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to St. Louis County
The counties St. Louis County 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.
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