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Meal preparation & homemaking caregiver needed in California, CA
$20.00/hr offeredPosted Oct 2, 2026
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Palo Alto, California · Santa Clara County
Caregiver Jobs in Palo Alto, CA
In Palo Alto a fifth of residents are past 65, and the city's wage floor is $18.70 an hour. Build a profile without charge and reply to the Palo Alto requests listed above as they come in.
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Finding in-home caregiver jobs in Palo Alto
Palo Alto is a city in northern Santa Clara County with 69,004 residents at the start of 2026 (state estimate). It is not the same place as East Palo Alto, a separate city in San Mateo County with its own wage rules, so check the address on any posting. The client base is older here: ACS 2020–2024 counts 13,369 residents aged 65 or over, 3,034 of them 85 or older, and 3,462 households in which someone over 65 lives by themselves. When a client's children live elsewhere and arrange care from a distance, expect to send a short update after each visit. Postings with a 94301, 94303, 94304 or 94306 ZIP code appear above once published.
Rents are high (median gross rent $3,484), so many caregivers commute in. Caltrain stops at both Palo Alto and California Avenue stations, which puts the city within reach from San Jose, Mountain View, Redwood City and San Mateo without a car, and a client near either station can be a practical first job for someone who does not drive. Chinese is the most common language at home after English (17.2% of residents five and older), well ahead of Spanish (5.5%) and Korean (2.8%); 19.1% of the foreign-born came from Europe. A profile that names your languages, your experience with memory loss and how you keep families informed gives a Palo Alto family what it needs to decide.
Live postings
Families looking for private caregivers near Palo Alto, CA
Real postings from families on CaregiverConnect, matched to Palo Alto by distance. 2 caregivers within 50 miles already have profiles here.
Showing 1 of 1 open posting within 50 miles of Palo Alto, newest 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 Palo Alto
Expect companion and errand visits for people living alone, morning and evening personal care, escorts to appointments at Stanford Health Care or the VA, overnight cover for dementia, and short assignments after surgery. A new caregiver without experience usually starts with companionship; MVLA Adult School on Moffett Boulevard in Mountain View teaches both CNA and home health aide courses, and Santa Clara County IHSS providers get free classes through the Public Authority.
Senior caregiving · Personal care · Companion care · Dementia care · Respite care · Live-in · Overnight · Part-time and full-time
Pay
Caregiver pay in Palo Alto: how much caregivers make
Public figures first, then what they mean for private work. Statistics describe employed aides across the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA metro (Santa Clara and San Benito counties); 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, San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA metro (Santa Clara and San Benito counties) | $18.09 median | BLS OEWS, May 2025; 49,610 jobs; concentration 1.58× national |
| IHSS provider wage, Santa Clara County | $20.44 | CDSS; effective January 1, 2026 |
| California minimum wage | $16.90 | effective January 1, 2026 |
Who is the employer. A family that hires you directly is your employer under California's Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. The state minimum wage ($16.90 an hour from 1 January 2026; some cities set more, for example $17.75 in the City of San Diego) is the legal floor, and a personal attendant earns overtime at 1.5× after 9 hours in a day or 45 in a week. The main exceptions are IHSS recipients and an employer's own parent, spouse or child. Source: California DIR, Domestic Worker Bill of Rights FAQ.
The Palo Alto minimum wage has been $18.70 an hour since January 1, 2026 and is scheduled to become $19.25 when 2027 begins; it adjusts each January. It covers every worker spending two or more hours a week on the job inside Palo Alto, part-time and under-18 workers included, but only for the hours worked inside city limits, so a shift split between a Palo Alto client and one in Menlo Park is paid at two different floors. The city says residential care facilities in Palo Alto are covered and that tips and fringe benefits cannot be credited toward the minimum. Parents, spouses, children and domestic partners of the employer are excluded; the city page does not say more about private households, so ask before assuming. Palo Alto contracts with the City of San Jose for enforcement: (408) 535-8430 or mywage@sanjoseca.gov, and the city compliance line is (650) 329-2671. Santa Clara County IHSS pays $20.44, above both the city floor and the $18.09 San Jose metro median for aides.
How to enroll as a provider in Santa Clara County, with the office phone lines and orientation steps, is in the IHSS Santa Clara County guide. IHSS wages for every county we cover, with effective dates, are in the IHSS pay by county guide.
How the public numbers relate to private rates, and what affects them, is covered in the caregiver pay guide.
Rules
Caregiver requirements in California, applied to Palo Alto
Private, non-medical care for a Palo Alto family needs no state license. Registering with the Home Care Aide Registry ($35) is your choice as an independent and becomes mandatory once you take a job with a licensed home care agency. Palo Alto residents who receive IHSS hire through the Santa Clara County program, and new providers enroll with Public Authority Services by Sourcewise: forms and state videos online, a required group orientation in San Jose, then a face-to-face appointment and DOJ fingerprinting that runs $12 to $30 using the Public Authority's Live Scan form. Facility employment and hands-on nursing duties call for CDPH nurse assistant certification. Every caregiver also carries a legal duty to report suspected abuse; the county APS line never closes: (408) 975-4900. The California caregiver requirements guide has the full rules.
Local resources
Training and career resources near Palo Alto
Courses and local organizations a Palo Alto caregiver can use; confirm dates and fees directly.
- MVLA Adult School, CNA and Home Health Aide333 Moffett Boulevard, Mountain View, 650-940-1333. Certified nursing assistant and home health aide programs, with a free orientation required before you enroll, plus CEU workshops for renewing a CNA or HHA certificate. Partner skilled nursing facilities reimburse tuition for graduates they hire full-time.
- Public Authority Services by SourcewiseFree semester classes for Santa Clara County IHSS providers, plus paid Alzheimer's and dementia and emergency-readiness training run with the Center for Caregiver Advancement. Training line (408) 350-3220; enrollment questions (408) 350-3252.
- Mission College, Nursing AssistantNursing assistant training at 3000 Mission College Boulevard, Santa Clara, with routes on to vocational nursing and LVN-to-RN. Program director (408) 855-5303.
- AvenidasThe nonprofit that has run senior services for the City of Palo Alto under contract since 1978, with a senior center in the city's former police and fire station on Bryant Street. Its programs include the Rose Kleiner Center adult day health program, a Chinese Community Center, social work services, Avenidas Village and Door to Door, and it has hosted a caregiver conference. Knowing them helps you plan around a client's week.
- VA Palo Alto Medical Center3801 Miranda Avenue, open around the clock. Its Geriatrics and Extended Care Service sees older veterans by referral on weekdays and offers help to family members and caregivers who support them.
The area
Palo Alto in numbers
19.9% of Palo Altans have reached 65, and the median resident is 43.6 years old (ACS 2020–2024). More than a third of households (35.5%) include someone over 65, and 26.1% of older residents report a disability. Median household income is $231,101, 28.2% of households receive Social Security, and 35.4% of workers worked from home. 8.5% of households have no vehicle, so a caregiver who can drive a client to appointments is useful here.
Two medical centers sit inside the city. Stanford Health Care at 300 Pasteur Drive is a general acute care hospital, and the VA Palo Alto Medical Center on Miranda Avenue anchors a VA system that also has sites in Menlo Park and Livermore; patients leaving either one sometimes go home needing several weeks of help. Golden Castle Adult Day Health Care Center on East Bayshore Road is listed by the state as a community-based adult services provider. Nearby pages: Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Redwood City and the Santa Clara County overview.
How it works
How to find private caregiver jobs in Palo Alto (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
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- Browse, apply or respond
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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 Palo Alto
Families often post from neighbouring towns. Set your travel radius in your profile and you will appear in their searches too.
Palo Alto is part of Santa Clara County; the hub pages list every town and area they cover.
- Caregiver jobs in Mountain View, CA5 mi
- Caregiver jobs in Redwood City, CA6 mi
- Caregiver jobs in Sunnyvale, CA8 mi
- Caregiver jobs in Santa Clara, CA11 mi
- Caregiver jobs in Fremont, CA12 mi
- Caregiver jobs in San Mateo, CA12 mi
- Caregiver jobs in Milpitas, CA14 mi
- Caregiver jobs in Hayward, CA16 mi
Elsewhere in Santa Clara County: San Jose
Guides
Useful reading
How to become a caregiver in California: requirements, HCA registry, IHSS and CNA explained · How much do caregivers make in California and Arizona? BLS, IHSS and minimum wage (2026) · Private caregiver jobs near you: how to find them without an agency · Caregiver interview preparation: questions families ask and how to answer them
Sources (checked 2026-10-15):
- City of Palo Alto, Minimum Wage
- UC Berkeley Labor Center, inventory of local minimum wage ordinances
- California Department of Finance, E-1 population estimates, January 1, 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year profile, Palo Alto city (via MCDC)
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 table C16001, Palo Alto city
- BLS OEWS May 2025, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- CDSS, IHSS wages by county
- Public Authority Services by Sourcewise, enrollment process
- Public Authority Services, contact numbers (APS hotline)
- Public Authority Services, provider training
- CDSS, Home Care Aide application process
- MVLA Adult School, Career Technical Education
- Avenidas, history (Wayback Machine capture, October 8, 2025)
- HCAI hospital profile, Stanford Health Care
- VA Palo Alto Health Care, Palo Alto VA Medical Center
- California Department of Aging, Santa Clara County services directory
- VA Palo Alto Health Care, locations
- Caltrain, stations
Questions
Caregiver jobs in Palo Alto: frequently asked questions
What is the Palo Alto minimum wage in 2026?
Since January 1, 2026 it has been $18.70 an hour. The city has announced $19.25 for January 1, 2027, so check any pay rate you agree now against that date.
Is East Palo Alto covered by the same wage law?
No. East Palo Alto is its own city in San Mateo County with a separate ordinance; the Labor Center inventory lists its rate as $17.90 from January 1, 2026. Confirm which city a client lives in before you quote a rate.
Does the Palo Alto wage apply if I live in San Jose?
Yes. Coverage depends on where you work, not where you live: any employee who works two or more hours a week in Palo Alto is owed the city rate for those hours.
Where is the closest CNA course to Palo Alto?
MVLA Adult School at 333 Moffett Boulevard in Mountain View offers CNA and home health aide programs; attend a free orientation first. Mission College in Santa Clara is another option.
Do Palo Alto clients need caregivers who work with veterans?
Some do. The VA Palo Alto Medical Center is in the city, and veterans or their families may ask for help around VA appointments or after a stay. Say on your profile if you have cared for a veteran.
How do I start IHSS work in Palo Alto?
Enroll with Public Authority Services by Sourcewise, (408) 350-3252, attend a group orientation in San Jose and complete fingerprinting. Read the Santa Clara County IHSS guide for each step.
Where do Palo Alto families post?
On the Palo Alto family page; new requests appear above once families publish them.
Ready to find caregiver work in Palo Alto?
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