Find Caregivers in San Diego, CA

About 15.4% of San Diego County's 3.34 million residents are 65 or older, and the state projects that share to rise to 18.6% by 2030 and 21.6% by 2040, with the 85-and-over population more than doubling to about 130,800 by 2040. Unlike smaller markets, San Diego offers every option: 230 licensed home-care agencies and 581 licensed residential care facilities (417 of them small six-bed homes) on CDSS's May 2025 file, a large IHSS programme, and a deep pool of independent caregivers. More than one in three residents is Hispanic or Latino and 24.1% speak Spanish at home; many caregivers are bilingual.

Public reference points: employed home health and personal care aides in the metro earned a median $16.97 an hour in May 2025 (BLS); IHSS providers are paid $20.40 an hour from March 2026; the California minimum wage is $16.90; and CareScout's 2025 survey puts the statewide median for agency non-medical home care at $40 an hour, or about $7,627 a month at 44 hours a week. A caregiver you hire directly will usually expect something between the aide median and the agency rate, more for dementia care, personal care, overnights and weekends. Each caregiver on this site lists an hourly rate and you state your budget in your posting. If you employ someone directly you are a household employer; our hiring guide covers IRS rules and California's overtime for personal attendants.

To apply for IHSS, or to report suspected elder abuse, call Aging & Independence Services at (800) 339-4661; the IHSS Public Authority registry, (866) 351-7722, can suggest screened providers. The county's Family Caregiver Support Program, the Southern Caregiver Resource Center (891 Kuhn Drive, Suite 200, Chula Vista, (858) 268-4432) and Alzheimer's San Diego ((858) 492-4400) support family caregivers; 2-1-1 San Diego is a free 24-hour information line. For rides, MTS Access paratransit costs $6 per one-way trip as of 1 October 2026 ((888) 517-9627), and RideFACT offers $5–$20 curb-to-curb rides for seniors and people with disabilities countywide ((888) 924-3228).

Interview in person with your relative present, call two references, ask whether the caregiver is on the CDSS Home Care Aide Registry or enrolled with IHSS (both verifiable), run a background check through a licensed provider with written consent, and start with paid trial shifts. CaregiverConnect does not run background checks; a Verified badge means our team reviewed proof the caregiver uploaded, not that we investigated them. Put duties, hours, rate and notice in a one-page agreement.