Orange County, NC
Get paid to care for your family member in Orange County, North Carolina
About 26,200 people in Orange County are 65 or older — 17% of everyone who lives here. That tracks with North Carolina as a whole. Roughly 2,520 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Agencies operate in Orange County, though families still run into gaps: no weekend coverage, a new aide every few weeks, hours that don't match real life.
Who needs care in Orange
- People 65 and older
- 26,200
- People 85 and older
- 2,520
- Median age
- 36.4
- Rank in North Carolina
- 23rd
17% of Orange residents
the age daily help usually starts
close to the national average
of 100 counties, by residents 65+
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Orange County is a metro county (USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Code 2). North Carolina as a whole is 18% aged 65 or older.
What North Carolina pays family caregivers
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: North Carolina Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
North Carolina's programs at a glance
- CAP/DA (consumer-directed)
- Coordinated Caregiving
- CAP/C (children)
- Spouse paid?
- Yes
- Parent paid for a child?
- Yes
- 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 North Carolina guide →
Towns and cities in Orange County
North Carolina sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Chapel Hill and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Orange County:
- Chapel Hill61,090
- Carrboro21,079
- Hillsborough9,773
- Mebane4,488
- Durham145
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Orange apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Orange County start with North Carolina's program:
Contact a CAP/DA (or CAP/C) case management provider in your county to request a referral, and apply for NC Medicaid via ePASS or the local DSS office.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which North Carolina program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Orange questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Orange County?
Yes. North Carolina runs real Medicaid programs — like CAP/DA (consumer-directed) — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Orange County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Orange County?
North Carolina doesn't publish one flat rate. The program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Orange County apply?
Families in Orange County start with the state, not the county. Contact a CAP/DA (or CAP/C) case management provider in your county to request a referral, and apply for NC Medicaid via ePASS or the local DSS office.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Orange County?
Yes — a spouse can be paid here. The fine print for North Carolina: yes — spouse can be hired under CAP/Consumer-Directed, and family members including spouses can be the paid live-in 'supportive worker' under Coordinated Caregiving
How many people in Orange County might need this?
26,200 residents of Orange County are 65 or older and about 2,520 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. North Carolina's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Orange do you cover?
All of Orange County — including Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, Mebane and Durham. Eligibility is set by North Carolina, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from North Carolina's published Medicaid program rules · Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.
More North Carolina counties
The programs are the same statewide — pick your county:
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