Live-In Caregivers in Cottage Grove, WI: 24-Hour Home Care

Local figures

Live-In Caregivers in Cottage Grove, WI: the local picture

109

residents 85 or older (1.3% of all residents)

544

households headed by someone 65+ own their home (72%)

75%

of Cottage Grove homes have 3 or more bedrooms (55% in Dane County)

$7.25

Wisconsin minimum wage per hour

About 109 Cottage Grove residents are 85 or older. Live-in care is most often arranged for this age group, when help is needed through the day and someone should be close at night.

A live-in caregiver needs a private room. 75% of homes in Cottage Grove have three or more bedrooms (55% in Dane County), while 11% have one bedroom or none, where live-in care rarely works; the median home has 6.7 rooms.

Of Cottage Grove households headed by someone 65 or older, 544 own their home and 214 rent; among householders 85 and older it is 0 owners and 83 renters. Renters should check that the lease allows another adult to live in before anyone moves in.

Cottage Grove compared with Dane County and Wisconsin

Census figure	Cottage Grove	Dane County	Wisconsin
Residents 85 or older	1.3%	1.7%	2.1%
Residents 65+ in households who live alone	37%	30%	30%
Residents 65+ with a disability	21%	24%	28%
Residents 65+ below the poverty line (approx.)	2.9%	6.0%	9.1%
Residents 65 or older	12%	15%	19%
Residents 5+ who speak a language other than English at home	8.0%	12%	9.0%
Median income, households headed by someone 65+	$92,885	$72,639	—

Older residents in towns around Cottage Grove

Town	Distance	Residents 65+	Residents 85+
McFarland, WI	6.4 mi	1,488	142
Sun Prairie, WI	6.5 mi	5,317	921
Monona, WI	7.0 mi	1,869	157
Deerfield, WI	7.2 mi	293	22
Marshall, WI	9.0 mi	389	18
Windsor, WI	11 mi	1,284	52

Emergency hospitals near Cottage Grove

Hospital with an emergency department	Town	Distance	CMS overall rating	Phone
Ssm Health St Mary's Hospital - Madison	Madison, WI	10 mi	4 of 5	(608) 251-6100
Unitypoint Health - Meriter	Madison, WI	10 mi	5 of 5	(608) 417-6210
University Of WI Hospitals & Clinics Authority	Madison, WI	11 mi	5 of 5	(608) 263-6400

Straight-line miles from the center of Cottage Grove. Medicare (CMS) data, October 2026; call ahead to confirm. We are not affiliated with these providers.

What it covers

What a live-in caregiver can help with

Help across the day: meals, housekeeping, personal care
Someone in the home overnight if help is needed
Medication reminders and appointment rides
Companionship and a steady routine

Cost

What live-in care costs in Cottage Grove

Live-in pay is often agreed by the day or week, but every hour worked counts toward minimum wage. At $17.47 an hour (the Wisconsin median aide wage), a live-in caregiver paid for 50 hours a week costs about $3,785 a month (49% of the $7,740 monthly median income of Cottage Grove households headed by someone 65+). Round-the-clock shift care, 168 paid hours a week across two or three caregivers, comes to about $12,718 a month (164% of the $7,740 monthly median income of Cottage Grove households headed by someone 65+). Private rates are agreed with the caregiver, and overtime rules can add to both. Wisconsin's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour (U.S. Department of Labor table, updated July 1, 2026).

Hiring directly, you agree the rate with the caregiver and usually become the household employer (U.S. Department of Labor rules). Some families qualify for programs that pay for care at home; see IRIS in Wisconsin: how a family member gets paid as a caregiver.

Before you hire

What to know before hiring a live-in caregiver

Put the arrangement in writing: hours on duty, sleep time, days off, the room and pay (federal rules: DOL Fact Sheet 79B).

Questions worth asking: Have you lived in with a client before, and for how long? What days off and sleep time do you need? How do you handle being woken at night? More in our live-in caregivers guide.

CaregiverConnect does not run background checks. Check identity, references and any certification yourself before anyone starts. The Safety Center explains how.

Questions

Live-In Caregivers in Cottage Grove: common questions

Where is the nearest emergency hospital to Cottage Grove?

Ssm Health St Mary's Hospital - Madison in Madison, about 10 mi in a straight line from the center of Cottage Grove (Medicare hospital file). Its listed phone number is (608) 251-6100. In an emergency, call 911.

How much does live-in care cost in Cottage Grove?

Live-in pay is often agreed by the day or week, but every hour worked counts toward minimum wage. At $17.47 an hour (the Wisconsin median aide wage), a live-in caregiver paid for 50 hours a week costs about $3,785 a month (49% of the $7,740 monthly median income of Cottage Grove households headed by someone 65+). Round-the-clock shift care, 168 paid hours a week across two or three caregivers, comes to about $12,718 a month (164% of the $7,740 monthly median income of Cottage Grove households headed by someone 65+). Private rates are agreed with the caregiver, and overtime rules can add to both. Wisconsin's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour (U.S. Department of Labor table, updated July 1, 2026).

Live-in or 24-hour care in Cottage Grove?

A live-in caregiver sleeps in the home and has protected sleep and break time. 24-hour care uses two or three caregivers in shifts so someone is always awake; in Cottage Grove it costs more than three times as much a month (see the cost section above). Choose shifts if help is needed several times a night.

More near Cottage Grove

More senior care near Cottage Grove

Live-In Caregivers in nearby cities

Other care in Cottage Grove

More for Cottage Grove families

Sources

Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year; CMS provider data (October 25, 2026); U.S. DOL state minimum wages (July 1, 2026); BLS OEWS May 2025 aide wages, which cover employed aides rather than private rates.

Live-In Caregivers in Cottage Grove, WI