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Get paid to care for family in Door County

Most of the 10,400 people in Door County who are 65 or older are cared for at home, by a relative. Wisconsin Medicaid can pay you for that work.

Door County at a glance

Aged 65+
10,400

34% of residents

Aged 85+
902

when daily help usually starts

Rank in WI
32nd

of 72 counties, by residents 65+

Median age
54.9

older than the country

A farmhouse set back from a gravel road, typical of Door County

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Door County is a rural county (Rural-Urban Continuum Code 6).

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 Door

What being a paid caregiver looks like here

About 10,400 people in Door County are 65 or older — 34% of everyone who lives here. That is an older county than Wisconsin overall, so more families here are already doing this work. Roughly 902 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. In a rural county, an agency aide may be a long drive away — when one is available at all. That is exactly why the state lets you be the paid caregiver instead.

Statewide, 1.2 million people in Wisconsin are 65 or older — 20% of the state, across 72 counties.

What Wisconsin pays family caregivers

$12–$17/hr

Rates vary — check with the program.

Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.

Source: Wisconsin DHS IRIS program data · Updated September 2026

Wisconsin's programs at a glance

  • IRIS
  • Family Care
  • Personal Care Services (PCS)
  • CLTS Waiver (children)
Spouse paid?
Yes
Parent paid for a child?
Sometimes
Waitlist
No waitlist.

These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Wisconsin guide →

Towns and cities in Door County

Wisconsin sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Sturgeon Bay and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Door County:

  • Sturgeon Bay9,940
  • Sevastopol2,826
  • Liberty Grove2,115
  • Nasewaupee2,015
  • Egg Harbor1,533
  • Gibraltar1,285
  • Baileys Harbor1,241
  • Gardner1,224

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.

How families in Door apply

You do not need a county office to start. Families in Door County start with Wisconsin's program:

Contact the local Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) or Tribal aging and disability resource specialist for eligibility screening and an in-person functional assessment, then choose IRIS over Family Care.

Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Wisconsin program fits your family, then we help with the forms.

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Door questions, answered honestly

Can I get paid to care for a family member in Door County?

Yes. Wisconsin runs real Medicaid programs — like IRIS — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Door County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.

How much do family caregivers earn in Door County?

Reported figures in Wisconsin are around $12–$17/hr, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.

Where do families in Door County apply?

Families in Door County start with the state, not the county. Contact the local Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) or Tribal aging and disability resource specialist for eligibility screening and an in-person functional assessment, then choose IRIS over Family Care.

Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Door County?

Yes — a spouse can be paid here. The fine print for Wisconsin: yes — relatives, including spouses, can be hired per medicaidplanningassistance.org

How many people in Door County might need this?

10,400 residents of Door County are 65 or older and about 902 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. Wisconsin's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.

Which towns in Door do you cover?

All of Door County — including Sturgeon Bay, Sevastopol, Liberty Grove, Nasewaupee and Egg Harbor. Eligibility is set by Wisconsin, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.

Program facts come from Wisconsin's published Medicaid program rules · Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.

Nearby

Counties next to Door

The counties Door 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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