Wayne County, TN

Get paid to care for your family member in Wayne County, Tennessee

About 3,310 people in Wayne County are 65 or older — 21% of everyone who lives here. That is an older county than Tennessee overall, so more families here are already doing this work. Roughly 301 are 85 or older, the age when daily help usually starts. Out here, hiring an outside agency often is not realistic at all. Being paid to do the care yourself is not a workaround — it is how these programs were designed to work.

Who needs care in Wayne

People 65 and older
3,310

21% of Wayne residents

People 85 and older
301

the age daily help usually starts

Median age
44.4

older than the country as a whole

Rank in Tennessee
77th

of 95 counties, by residents 65+

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Population Estimates (Vintage 2024). Wayne County is one of the most rural counties in the country (USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Code 8). Tennessee as a whole is 18% aged 65 or older.

What Tennessee pays family caregivers

$11–$19.16/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: 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 Wayne County

Tennessee sets eligibility, not your town — so a family in Waynesboro and a family at the far edge of the county apply the same way. The largest communities in Wayne County:

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

How families in Wayne apply

You do not need a county office to start. Families in Wayne 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 →

Wayne questions, answered honestly

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

Yes. Tennessee runs real Medicaid programs — like TennCare CHOICES consumer direction — that pay family caregivers, and they cover families in Wayne County. We help you enroll, and applying costs you nothing.

How much do family caregivers earn in Wayne 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 Wayne County apply?

Families in Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County might need this?

3,310 residents of Wayne County are 65 or older and about 301 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 Wayne do you cover?

All of Wayne County — including Waynesboro, Clifton and Collinwood. 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

The programs are the same statewide — pick your county:

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