Shelby County, TN
Get paid to care for your family member in Shelby County, Tennessee
About 143,200 people in Shelby County are 65 or older — 16% of everyone who lives here. That tracks with Tennessee as a whole. Roughly 13,000 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Shelby County is one of the state's biggest population centers, and home-care agencies do work here — but staffing is thin, schedules change, and a stranger in the house is not what every family wants.
Who needs care in Shelby
- People 65 and older
- 143,200
- People 85 and older
- 13,000
- Median age
- 36.1
- Rank in Tennessee
- 1st
16% of Shelby residents
the age daily help usually starts
younger than the country as a whole
of 95 counties, by residents 65+
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Shelby County is a large metro county (USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Code 1). Tennessee as a whole is 18% aged 65 or older.
What Tennessee pays family caregivers
$11–$19.16/hr
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Tennessee Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
Tennessee's programs at a glance
- TennCare CHOICES consumer direction
- ECF CHOICES
- Katie Beckett (children)
- Spouse paid?
- Not right now
- Parent paid for a child?
- Sometimes
- Waitlist
- Some programs have no waitlist.
These rules are set by the state, so they are the same in every county. Read the full Tennessee guide →
Towns and cities in Shelby County
Tennessee sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Memphis and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Shelby County:
- Memphis610,919
- Bartlett56,708
- Collierville51,951
- Germantown40,128
- Arlington15,550
- Lakeland14,416
- Millington11,486
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Subcounty Population Estimates.
How families in Shelby apply
You do not need a county office to start. Families in Shelby County start with Tennessee's program:
Current TennCare members contact their managed care organization (health plan); everyone else calls their local Area Agency on Aging and Disability at 1-866-836-6678 to start CHOICES screening.
Or skip the phone tag — our free 2-minute check tells you which Tennessee program fits your family, then we help with the forms.
See if you qualify →Shelby questions, answered honestly
Can I get paid to care for a family member in Shelby County?
Yes. Tennessee runs real Medicaid programs — like TennCare CHOICES consumer direction — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Shelby County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.
How much do family caregivers earn in Shelby County?
Reported figures in Tennessee are around $11–$19.16/hr, but rates vary — the program sets your exact pay. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Where do families in Shelby County apply?
Families in Shelby County start with the state, not the county. Current TennCare members contact their managed care organization (health plan); everyone else calls their local Area Agency on Aging and Disability at 1-866-836-6678 to start CHOICES screening.
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Shelby County?
Not right now — but other family members often can be. The fine print for Tennessee: no — spouses, legal guardians, and powers of attorney cannot be hired; adult children and other relatives can
How many people in Shelby County might need this?
143,200 residents of Shelby County are 65 or older and about 13,000 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. Tennessee's programs exist to pay for exactly that care.
Which towns in Shelby do you cover?
All of Shelby County — including Memphis, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown and Arlington. Eligibility is set by Tennessee, not by your town, so where you live inside the county does not change whether you qualify.
Program facts come from Tennessee's published Medicaid program rules · Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.
More Tennessee counties
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