Live-In Caregivers in Prairie du Chien, WI

Local figures

Live-In Caregivers in Prairie du Chien, WI: the local picture

226

residents 85 or older (4.1% of all residents)

627

households headed by someone 65+ own their home (73%)

52%

of Prairie du Chien homes have 3 or more bedrooms (62% in Crawford County)

$7.25

Wisconsin minimum wage per hour

About 226 Prairie du Chien 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. 52% of homes in Prairie du Chien have three or more bedrooms (62% in Crawford County), while 13% have one bedroom or none, where live-in care rarely works; the median home has 5.3 rooms.

Of Prairie du Chien households headed by someone 65 or older, 627 own their home and 228 rent; among householders 85 and older it is 73 owners and 44 renters. Renters should check that the lease allows another adult to live in before anyone moves in.

Prairie du Chien compared with Crawford County and Wisconsin

Census figure	Prairie du Chien	Crawford County	Wisconsin
Residents 85 or older	4.1%	2.5%	2.1%
Residents 65+ in households who live alone	30%	28%	30%
Residents 65+ with a disability	33%	27%	28%
Residents 65+ below the poverty line (approx.)	8.1%	9.9%	9.1%
Residents 65 or older	25%	25%	19%
Residents 5+ who speak a language other than English at home	2.9%	3.8%	9.0%
Median income, households headed by someone 65+	$42,083	$48,045	—

Older residents in towns around Prairie du Chien

Town	Distance	Residents 65+	Residents 85+
Postville, IA	22 mi	310	57
Boscobel, WI	23 mi	533	34
Waukon, IA	23 mi	1,054	188
Fennimore, WI	25 mi	468	51
Lancaster, WI	26 mi	935	117
Decorah, IA	37 mi	1,807	266

Emergency hospitals near Prairie du Chien

Hospital with an emergency department	Town	Distance	CMS overall rating	Phone
Crossing Rivers Health Medical Center	Prairie Du Chien, WI	0.8 mi	3 of 5	(608) 357-2000
Mercyone Elkader Medical Center	Elkader, IA	19 mi	not rated	(563) 245-7000
Guttenberg Municipal Hospital	Guttenberg, IA	20 mi	not rated	(563) 252-1121

Straight-line miles from the center of Prairie du Chien. 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 Prairie du Chien

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 (108% of the $3,507 monthly median income of Prairie du Chien 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 (363% of the $3,507 monthly median income of Prairie du Chien 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 Prairie du Chien: common questions

Where is the nearest emergency hospital to Prairie du Chien?

Crossing Rivers Health Medical Center in Prairie Du Chien, about 0.8 mi in a straight line from the center of Prairie du Chien (Medicare hospital file). Its listed phone number is (608) 357-2000. In an emergency, call 911.

How much does live-in care cost in Prairie du Chien?

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 (108% of the $3,507 monthly median income of Prairie du Chien 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 (363% of the $3,507 monthly median income of Prairie du Chien 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 Prairie du Chien?

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 Prairie du Chien 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 Prairie du Chien

More senior care near Prairie du Chien

Live-In Caregivers in nearby cities

Other care in Prairie du Chien

More for Prairie du Chien 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.