Live-In Caregivers in Onawa, IA: 24-Hour Home Care

Local figures

Live-In Caregivers in Onawa, IA: the local picture

146

residents 85 or older (5.1% of all residents)

300

households headed by someone 65+ own their home (67%)

55%

of Onawa homes have 3 or more bedrooms (62% in Monona County)

$7.25

Iowa minimum wage per hour

About 146 Onawa 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. 55% of homes in Onawa have three or more bedrooms (62% in Monona County), while 13% have one bedroom or none, where live-in care rarely works; the median home has 5.9 rooms.

Of Onawa households headed by someone 65 or older, 300 own their home and 146 rent; among householders 85 and older it is 61 owners and 66 renters. Renters should check that the lease allows another adult to live in before anyone moves in.

Onawa compared with Monona County and Iowa

Census figure	Onawa	Monona County	Iowa
Residents 85 or older	5.1%	4.3%	2.3%
Residents 65+ in households who live alone	54%	39%	31%
Residents 65+ with a disability	42%	30%	30%
Residents 65+ below the poverty line (approx.)	23%	10%	8.4%
Residents 65 or older	21%	24%	18%
Residents 5+ who speak a language other than English at home	2.3%	2.3%	9.1%
Median income, households headed by someone 65+	$36,061	$38,363	—

Older residents in towns around Onawa

Town	Distance	Residents 65+	Residents 85+
Sergeant Bluff, IA	29 mi	646	65
Dakota City, NE	32 mi	295	39
Blair, NE	34 mi	1,337	145
Missouri Valley, IA	34 mi	529	125
West Point, NE	34 mi	788	175
South Sioux City, NE	34 mi	1,535	261

Emergency hospitals near Onawa

Hospital with an emergency department	Town	Distance	CMS overall rating	Phone
Burgess Health Center	Onawa, IA	1.1 mi	3 of 5	(712) 423-2311
Twelve Clans Unity Hospital	Winnebago, NE	24 mi	not rated	(402) 878-2231
Pender Community Hospital	Pender, NE	33 mi	not rated	(402) 385-3083

Straight-line miles from the center of Onawa. 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 Onawa

Live-in pay is often agreed by the day or week, but every hour worked counts toward minimum wage. At $17.34 an hour (the Iowa median aide wage), a live-in caregiver paid for 50 hours a week costs about $3,757 a month (125% of the $3,005 monthly median income of Onawa households headed by someone 65+). Round-the-clock shift care, 168 paid hours a week across two or three caregivers, comes to about $12,624 a month (420% of the $3,005 monthly median income of Onawa households headed by someone 65+). Private rates are agreed with the caregiver, and overtime rules can add to both. Iowa'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 Medicaid programs for family caregivers: who can be paid, and the rules in 12 states.

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 Onawa: common questions

Where is the nearest emergency hospital to Onawa?

Burgess Health Center in Onawa, about 1.1 mi in a straight line from the center of Onawa (Medicare hospital file). Its listed phone number is (712) 423-2311. In an emergency, call 911.

How much does live-in care cost in Onawa?

Live-in pay is often agreed by the day or week, but every hour worked counts toward minimum wage. At $17.34 an hour (the Iowa median aide wage), a live-in caregiver paid for 50 hours a week costs about $3,757 a month (125% of the $3,005 monthly median income of Onawa households headed by someone 65+). Round-the-clock shift care, 168 paid hours a week across two or three caregivers, comes to about $12,624 a month (420% of the $3,005 monthly median income of Onawa households headed by someone 65+). Private rates are agreed with the caregiver, and overtime rules can add to both. Iowa'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 Onawa?

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 Onawa 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 Onawa

More senior care near Onawa

Live-In Caregivers in nearby cities

Other care in Onawa

More for Onawa 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 Onawa, IA