Get paid to care for family in Essex County
Most of the 1,780 people in Essex County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Vermont Medicaid can pay you for that work.
Essex County at a glance
- Aged 65+
- 1,780
- Aged 85+
- 171
- Rank in VT
- 14th
- Median age
- 52.0
30% of residents
when daily help usually starts
of 14 counties, by residents 65+
older than the country
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Essex County is one of the most rural counties in the country (Rural-Urban Continuum Code 9).
- 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 1,780 people in Essex County are 65 or older — 30% of everyone who lives here. That is an older county than Vermont overall, so more families here are already doing this work. Roughly 171 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, 147,600 people in Vermont are 65 or older — 23% of the state, across 14 counties.
What Vermont pays family caregivers
$15.49–$18/hr
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Vermont Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Vermont's programs at a glance
- Choices for Care (self-directed)
- Flexible Choices
- Spouse paid?
- Sometimes
- Parent paid for a child?
- Not right now
- Waitlist
- There may be a waitlist — apply early.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Vermont guide →
Towns and cities in Essex County
Vermont sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Lunenburg and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Essex County:
- Lunenburg1,262
- Brighton1,255
- Concord1,149
- Canaan896
- East Haven273
- Guildhall256
- Bloomfield220
- Maidstone208
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 Vermont's program:
Submit a Vermont Long-Term Care Medicaid application (DAIL does the clinical assessment, ESD at 800-479-6151 the financial eligibility); the Senior HelpLine at 800-642-5119 can help start the process.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Vermont 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. Vermont runs real Medicaid programs — like Choices for Care (self-directed) — 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?
Reported figures in Vermont are around $15.49–$18/hr, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Essex County apply?
Families in Essex County start with the state, not the county. Submit a Vermont Long-Term Care Medicaid application (DAIL does the clinical assessment, ESD at 800-479-6151 the financial eligibility); the Senior HelpLine at 800-642-5119 can help start the process.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Essex County?
Sometimes — it depends on the program. The fine print for Vermont: limited — Choices for Care pays a spouse for hands-on personal care but not for household tasks (IADLs), in both consumer-directed personal care and Flexible Choices; legal guardians and the surrogate employer cannot be paid
How many people in Essex County might need this?
1,780 residents of Essex County are 65 or older and about 171 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. Vermont's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Essex do you cover?
All of Essex County — including Lunenburg, Brighton, Concord, Canaan and East Haven. Eligibility is set by Vermont, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Vermont'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 Vermont 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.
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