How much does home care cost?

CareScout's 2025 Cost of Care Survey puts the national median for a non-medical caregiver at $35 an hour. The annual cost depends entirely on how many hours you need — 44 hours a week is the survey's benchmark, but most families start with far less.

Cost by hours per week (national median)

Adult day health care

For families who need daytime supervision while working, adult day health care has a national median of $24,700 a year ($2,058 a month), based on five days a week. It is usually far cheaper than full-time in-home help.

What home care includes — and what it does not

Non-medical home care covers help with daily living: bathing, dressing, meals, mobility, medication reminders and companionship. It is not skilled nursing or therapy — those are covered separately by Medicare home health when you are homebound and a doctor orders them (see Medicare home health coverage). Private home care is paid out of pocket, by long-term care insurance, or through some Medicaid waiver programmes.

How home care compares with other settings

Nationally a semi-private nursing home room has a median of $114,975 a year and assisted living about $74,400 — so home care is cheaper only while the number of hours is modest. As care needs grow past roughly 40–50 hours a week, a residential setting can cost less per hour of coverage.

State medians

Caregiver rates and in-home costs vary by state — see the state cost table or the page for your state for local medians.

Source: CareScout (formerly Genworth) Cost of Care Survey 2025, median cost data tables, retrieved 2026-10-24. Medians for private pay; not a quote.

Written and maintained by the US Home Health data team · last reviewed 2026-10-24 · sources and methodology.