Get paid to care for family in Thurston County
Most of the 829 people in Thurston County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Nebraska Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Thurston County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 829
- Aged 85+
- 73
- Rank in NE
- 63rd
- Median age
- 28.7
12% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 93 counties, by residents 65+
younger than the country
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Thurston County is one of the most rural counties in the country (Rural-Urban Continuum Code 8).
- 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 Thurston
What being a paid caregiver looks like here
About 829 people in Thurston County are 65 or older — 12% of everyone who lives here. Thurston County skews younger than Nebraska overall, but the families caring for an older parent here face the same bills. Roughly 73 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Out here, hiring an outside agency often is not realistic at all. Being paid to do the care yourself is not a workaround — it is how these programs were designed to work.
Statewide, 349,400 people in Nebraska are 65 or older — 17% of the state, across 93 counties.
What Nebraska pays family caregivers
$15/hr
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Nebraska Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Nebraska's programs at a glance
- Personal Assistance Services (PAS)
- Aged & Disabled Waiver
- Spouse paid?
- Sometimes
- Parent paid for a child?
- Sometimes
- Waitlist
- Waitlists can be long — apply early.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Nebraska guide →
Towns and cities in Thurston County
Nebraska sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Pender and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Thurston County:
- Pender1,089
- Winnebago892
- Walthill702
- Rosalie155
- Thurston117
- Emerson114
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Thurston apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Thurston County start with Nebraska's program:
Apply online via iServe Nebraska or at a local DHHS office; for the AD Waiver call 877-667-6266 to request materials.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Nebraska program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Thurston questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Thurston County?
Yes. Nebraska runs real Medicaid programs — like Personal Assistance Services (PAS) — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Thurston County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Thurston County?
Reported figures in Nebraska are around $15/hr, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Thurston County apply?
Families in Thurston County start with the state, not the county. Apply online via iServe Nebraska or at a local DHHS office; for the AD Waiver call 877-667-6266 to request materials.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Thurston County?
Sometimes — it depends on the program. The fine print for Nebraska: limited — under the Aged & Disabled Waiver a spouse can be paid through the separate LRI Personal Care service only when care is extraordinary, agency-based, capped at 40 hours a week
How many people in Thurston County might need this?
829 residents of Thurston County are 65 or older and about 73 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. Nebraska's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Thurston do you cover?
All of Thurston County — including Pender, Winnebago, Walthill, Rosalie and Thurston. Eligibility is set by Nebraska, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Nebraska'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 Thurston County
Start with the Nebraska caregiver program, then read how the pieces fit together.
Nearby
Counties next to Thurston
The counties Thurston 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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