Home Instead Hourly Rates: What Families Pay and How Costs Vary by State

Home Instead doesn't publish a national price list. Every office is a franchise that sets its own hourly rate, so what you pay turns on your local market, how many hours you book, and the level of care involved. The useful benchmark is the national median for in-home caregiving, which CareScout put at $35 an hour in its 2025 Cost of Care Survey.

Two very different numbers get tangled together in searches like this one. One is the hourly price a family pays the agency. The other is the hourly wage the caregiver takes home. They aren't the same figure, because the agency rate also has to cover payroll taxes, insurance, background checks, training, scheduling, and backup coverage when your regular caregiver is out. This guide keeps the two apart.

Below is what the national data actually shows on both sides: what in-home care costs families, what home care workers are paid, and how far each figure swings from state to state.

What Home Instead costs families

Home Instead runs as a franchise network, and rates are set locally rather than from headquarters. The company doesn't post prices online. Local offices quote a rate after a consultation, which is standard practice for in-home care agencies.

For a benchmark, CareScout's 2025 Cost of Care Survey put the national median for non-medical caregiver services at $35 per hour, about 3% above the $34 median it recorded in 2024. At 44 hours a week for a full year, that comes to roughly $80,080.

The quote from your local office can land above or below that median. The main drivers are the local labor market, how many hours a week you commit to, whether you need overnight or weekend coverage, and whether the care involves dementia or other specialized needs.

How costs and wages vary by state

Geography drives most of the spread. States with higher wage floors and higher living costs sit at the top of the range, and states with low wage floors sit at the bottom. New York, for instance, sets a separate minimum wage for home care aides that runs above the general state minimum, which lifts both caregiver pay and agency rates.

Federal wage data shows how wide that gap gets. Among home health and personal care aides, the mean hourly wage as of May 2025 was highest in states including Washington ($23.18), North Dakota ($19.95), and New York ($19.78), and lowest in states including Mississippi ($12.20) and Texas ($12.54), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.

Agency prices follow the same geographic pattern but sit well above caregiver wages, because the hourly rate a family pays also funds employer taxes, liability and workers' compensation insurance, supervision, training, and replacement coverage.

Those swings track with local cost of living, how many other agencies are competing nearby, and the state rules that govern caregiving.

What home care workers are paid

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts Home Instead caregivers within home health and personal care aides. As of May 2025 that occupation employed about 4.3 million people nationally, with a median wage of $17.21 an hour and a mean of $17.36.

The spread inside the occupation is narrower than most people expect. The bottom 10% earned about $13.00 an hour and the top 10% about $21.65. Earning much beyond that generally means moving into a nursing or coordinator role rather than staying in direct care.

Home Instead offers a clear path upward: caregivers can progress to Senior Care Professionals, then Care Coordinator or Client Care Manager. Other options include office roles, supervisory positions, and franchise ownership.

Those two sets of figures explain why agency quotes and caregiver wages look so far apart, and why comparing a quoted rate against a wage figure you found online will always look lopsided.

What to do with these numbers

The number that matters is the one your local office quotes you, not an average you read somewhere, because rates swing this much by state and by level of service. Two things move it more than anything else.

Where you live sets the floor. The level of care decides how far above it you land, from basic help around the house up to overnight and dementia support.

Price isn't the only thing to weigh. Service quality, how well the caregivers are trained, the minimum number of hours an office will book, and whether it has coverage in your area at all shape what the rate actually buys you.

As you plan, think about both what's needed now and what might come later. Call your local Home Instead office for exact pricing and care options; many offer a free consultation to talk through what fits your situation.

Choosing a provider is a trade between cost, quality, and what your family can realistically manage. Look at several options, ask pointed questions about pricing, and make sure whoever you choose can handle your loved one's needs today and down the road.

Key takeaways

Home Instead sets prices at the franchise level and doesn't publish a national rate. The closest national benchmark is CareScout's 2025 median of $35 an hour for non-medical caregiver services.

Geography drives most of the variation, on the price side and the wage side alike.

The rate climbs with the complexity of care and with overnight, weekend, or specialized coverage.

Home Instead offers career advancement from caregiver to management positions, with corresponding pay increases.

Compare agencies on the quoted hourly rate, the minimum booking, and what happens when your regular caregiver is unavailable, rather than on caregiver wage figures found online.

Consider both immediate costs and future care needs when choosing a provider.

Sources

Primary sources for the figures and guidance on this page:

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: Home Health and Personal Care Aides - Source of every wage figure on this page, as of May 2025: national employment of about 4.3 million, a median of $17.21 an hour and a mean of $17.36, a 10th percentile of $13.00 and a 90th percentile of $21.65, and the state mean wages for Washington, North Dakota, New York, Mississippi and Texas.

CareScout Cost of Care - Source of the $35 national median hourly rate for non-medical caregiver services in the 2025 Cost of Care Survey, and the $34 median recorded in 2024.