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Light housekeeping & companion care caregiver needed in Mulberry, FL
$15.00/hr offeredPosted Oct 21, 2026
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Lakeland, Florida · Polk County
Caregiver Jobs in Lakeland, FL
Lakeland is the largest city in Polk County by the Census Bureau's count, with an estimated 125,520 residents on July 1, 2025. Private and in-home care openings from families in and around the city appear above, each showing the town it is in and how far it is in a straight line.
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Finding in-home caregiver jobs in Lakeland
About one Lakeland resident in five is 65 or older: the Census Bureau's five-year ACS 2020–2024 survey finds 25,793 people in that age group, 21.5% of the city, compared with 19.5% for Polk County. Older people living on their own head 7,954 of the city's 47,816 households (4,947 women and 3,007 men), and a 65-plus resident is present in 38.3% of Lakeland homes. Among residents 65 and up, 35.6% report a disability. Households like these are the ones that post for daily help of a few hours, a regular companion, or someone to cover nights after a hospital stay.
On CaregiverConnect, families post the hours and the hourly rate they can offer and contact you directly; your profile costs nothing, and the platform keeps none of what a family pays you. The city spans seven registry ZIPs (33801, 33803, 33805, 33809, 33810, 33811 and 33813), so put your own ZIP on your profile and pick a radius you can actually drive every day. Spanish is spoken at home by 16.0% of Lakeland residents aged five and over, and 7.1% speak English less than very well, so list any Spanish you have. For Mulberry, roughly 11 miles from Lakeland measured straight between ZIP centers, see the Mulberry caregiver jobs page.
Live postings
Families looking for private caregivers near Lakeland, FL
Real postings from families on CaregiverConnect, matched to Lakeland by distance.
This opening is in Mulberry, not in Lakeland itself. It is listed here because caregivers in Lakeland can reach it; distances are straight-line miles between ZIP-code centers, not driving miles.
Showing 1 of 1 open posting within 50 straight-line miles of Lakeland, nearest first. Family names and care-recipient details are shown after you sign in. Postings are removed from this page as soon as a family hires or closes them.
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Types of caregiver jobs
Types of caregiver jobs in Lakeland
Expect requests such as help getting up, showered and dressed before a relative leaves for work, a midday meal and medication reminders, rides to appointments at Lakeland Regional or a doctor's office, and errands or laundry. Some families want a companion who can go along to a senior class at one of the city's recreation buildings. Companion and homemaker work does not require a CNA certificate, but in Florida it has its own registration rule (see below).
Senior caregiving · Personal care · Companion care · Dementia care · Respite care · Live-in · Overnight · Part-time and full-time
Pay
Caregiver pay in Lakeland: how much caregivers make
Public figures first, then what they mean for private work. Statistics describe employed aides across the Lakeland–Winter Haven, FL metro (Polk County); private rates on CaregiverConnect are agreed between each caregiver and family and are not tracked by any agency.
| Measure | Hourly | Source and coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Home health and personal care aides, Lakeland–Winter Haven, FL metro (Polk County) | $16.14 median | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine, May 2025 |
| Home health and personal care aides, Florida statewide, median | $16.25 | BLS OEWS May 2025, via O*NET OnLine |
| Florida minimum wage | $15.00 | effective September 30, 2026 |
| Nursing assistants, Lakeland–Winter Haven, FL metro (Polk County) | $17.31 median | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine, May 2025 (certified roles, for comparison) |
Who is the employer. A family that hires you directly is your employer. The Florida minimum wage is $15.00 an hour (effective September 30, 2026); the federal minimum of $7.25 and federal overtime rules apply to directly employed caregivers unless the work is exempt companionship under the FLSA. Source: US Department of Labor, direct care workers; the state source is listed at the end of this page.
Lakeland has no separate wage figure: BLS counts the whole of Polk County as the Lakeland–Winter Haven metro area, and in its May 2025 survey the middle half of SOC 31-1120 workers, the home health and personal care aide group, earned $14.87 to $16.59 an hour, around a $16.14 median. The Florida median was $16.25. Metro nursing assistants had a $17.31 median. Florida's minimum wage moved to $15.00 on September 30, 2026, after that survey, so the lower quarter of those 2025 rates now sits under the state floor. Treat $15.00 as the floor for any private rate you quote, and settle mileage and any overnight pay before you start.
Rules
Caregiver requirements in Florida, applied to Lakeland
Under the state constitution (Art. X, §24), Florida's minimum rose by a dollar every September 30 from 2021 until it reached $15.00 on September 30, 2026; after that, the state calculates an inflation adjustment each September that takes effect on January 1. Federal rules, as the U.S. Labor Department explains them, bar third-party employers such as home care agencies from claiming the companionship and live-in exemptions, and a live-in worker employed by the household loses overtime only, never the minimum wage; a July 2, 2025 proposal would bring back the 1975 regulations, so check before relying on either exemption. Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration requires anyone providing homemaker or companion services, a single person without staff included, to register; the fee is $50.75 for two years plus background screening, and the registration does not permit hands-on care (AHCA's examples are bathing, feeding and changing a client). Suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of a client should be reported by phone (1-800-962-2873, the DCF-run Florida Abuse Hotline).
Local resources
Training and career resources near Lakeland
Routes into the work, senior programs and support services in and around Lakeland; we read each provider's site on October 27, 2026.
- Florida Board of Nursing, CNA by examinationYou qualify for the exam by finishing an approved program, by holding a high school diploma or equivalent, or by being 18 or older; a Level II background screening is also required, with electronic fingerprints since House Bill 975 (2024). After three failed attempts you must complete an approved program before testing again, and if you finished a program within the past six months you take only the written part.
- Polk County Public Schools technical colleges, Nursing AssistantTraviss Technical College, 3225 Winter Lake Road, runs a 165-hour program (Basic Healthcare Worker plus Nurse Aide and Orderly) with classes from 7:30 to 2:30 each weekday and clinical hours on top; it is approved by the Florida Board of Nursing and leads to the CNA exam. 863-499-2700.
- City of Lakeland senior programmingParks, Recreation and Cultural Arts lists classes for older residents across the city: Silver Sneakers and a walking club at Kelly Recreation Complex (863-834-3284), tai chi and low-impact classes at Lake Crago (863-834-2215), senior dance and bridge at Lake Mirror (863-834-2280), and shuffleboard and horseshoes at the Coleman-Bush Building (863-834-3350), which also hosts Faith in Action North Lakeland's "Services to the Elderly".
- Senior Connection Center (Area Agency on Aging)Tampa-based (8928 Brittany Way) Area Agency on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Center for five counties, Polk among them. Call the Elder Helpline, 1-800-963-5337, for Long-Term Care information and referrals; it also offers SHINE Medicare counseling and caregiver support.
- Citrus Connection paratransitParatransit for Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow and other Polk towns. ADA service is for riders whose disability keeps them from using the fixed-route buses, with a health care professional's verification; the Transportation Disadvantaged program is door-to-door with a financial assessment. TD medical trips can be booked 1 to 14 days ahead, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Applications through the Call Center, (863) 534-5500.
The area
Lakeland in numbers
The ACS 2020–2024 estimates put Lakeland's median household income at $64,185 and its median gross rent at $1,395; 43.6% of occupied homes are rented and 15.0% of housing units are mobile homes. The median age is 38.9. Of people 65 and older, 13.2% live below the poverty line, and 7.4% of households have no vehicle, a little above Polk County's 5.4%. Workers' trips to work average 23.1 minutes. Health care and social assistance, counted together with education, employ 22.2% of working residents.
Care employers with a Lakeland mailing address are listed in CMS provider data: Lakeland Regional Medical Center on Lakeland Hills Boulevard, an acute care hospital with emergency services (Lakeland Regional Health says it opened in 1916 with 65 beds and now has 910 on its campus); 12 Medicare-certified nursing homes with 1,593 certified beds between them; nine home health agencies, for example Enhabit Home Health on Fitzgerald Road and BayCare Home Care on Lake Wire Drive; and three hospices, including Good Shepherd Hospice. If you want to get paid for caring for a relative on Medicaid, read the Florida family caregiver guide; for openings elsewhere in the state see Florida caregiver jobs.
How it works
How to find private caregiver jobs in Lakeland (no agency)
CaregiverConnect is a marketplace, not an agency. Families post what they need, caregivers apply, and the two of you work out the arrangement directly.
- Tell us about your experience
- Set your availability and rate
- Create your account
- Browse, apply or respond
- Agree on the details
Applying to open postings and starting a new conversation are part of Caregiver Premium ($7.99/month, cancel anytime). Replying to a family who contacts you is always free. CaregiverConnect takes no cut of what you earn.
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Widen your search
Caregiver jobs near Lakeland
Families often post from neighbouring towns. Set your travel radius in your profile and you will appear in their searches too.
Guides
Useful reading
Private caregiver jobs near you: how to find them without an agency · Caregiver interview preparation: questions families ask and how to answer them · How to get paid to take care of a family member in Florida: SMMC LTC and the PDO · How to write a caregiver profile that families actually contact
Sources (checked 2026-10-27):
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Florida place codes (Lakeland city, Polk County)
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates, Florida
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 data profiles DP02–DP05, Lakeland city, FL
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 data profiles, Polk County, FL
- BLS, OEWS May 2025 area definitions (Lakeland–Winter Haven = Polk County)
- O*NET OnLine, Florida local wages for personal care aides (BLS 2025 wage data, SOC 31-1120)
- O*NET OnLine, Florida local wages for nursing assistants (BLS 2025 wage data)
- Florida Constitution, Article X, Section 24 (minimum wage), Florida Senate
- U.S. Department of Labor, home care and domestic service under the FLSA
- AHCA, homemaker and companion services registration FAQ
- AHCA, who can receive SMMC Long-Term Care services
- AHCA, SMMC Long-Term Care recipient FAQs
- Florida Board of Nursing, certified nursing assistant
- Polk County Public Schools technical colleges, Nursing Assistant
- City of Lakeland, Senior Programming
- Senior Connection Center, Inc.
- Citrus Connection, ADA and TD paratransit
- Florida DCF, Florida Abuse Hotline
- Lakeland Regional Health
- CMS Provider Data: hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies and hospices (Lakeland, FL)
Questions
Caregiver jobs in Lakeland: frequently asked questions
What is the lowest hourly pay allowed for a Lakeland caregiver?
$15.00, Florida's minimum since September 30, 2026. The City of Lakeland does not set its own rate. Beginning in 2027 Florida recalculates the figure each September using the CPI-W, and the new rate starts the next January 1.
How do aide wages in Polk County compare with the rest of Florida?
Slightly lower. BLS put the May 2025 Lakeland–Winter Haven median for home health and personal care work at $16.14 an hour, against $16.25 statewide. The top tenth of metro aides earned $17.35 or more.
Do I need to register with AHCA to work as a companion in Lakeland?
AHCA says yes for anyone providing homemaker or companion services, even someone working alone, and a sole proprietor can register under their own legal name. The two-year fee is $50.75, background screening costs extra, and the registration does not cover bathing, feeding or other hands-on personal care.
How does an older Lakeland resident get into Medicaid long-term care at home?
It starts with a telephone screening by the Aging and Disability Resource Center, which for Polk County is Senior Connection Center (1-800-963-5337). AHCA says the screening score and priority rank decide placement on the waitlist; Elder Affairs CARES staff then assess medical need, and financial eligibility is a Department of Children and Families decision. The program covers people 65 and older and adults with disabilities who need a nursing home level of care.
How do clients who no longer drive reach appointments in Lakeland?
Citrus Connection runs ADA paratransit and a Transportation Disadvantaged door-to-door service; both need an application, and TD trips are shared rides booked first come, first served. When booking, riders say whether a personal care attendant will travel with them.
Which school near Lakeland trains nursing assistants?
Traviss Technical College on Winter Lake Road offers a 165-hour Board-approved nursing assistant program on weekday daytime hours. Florida also lets you sit the CNA exam without a program if you are 18 or older or have a high school diploma.
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