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What Senior Care Costs

Wisconsin's published 2024 CareScout state medians for assisted living, nursing homes and in-home care, with the caveats that matter.

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What senior care costs in your metro

The most current sourced figures come from the Genworth/CareScout 2024 Cost of Care Survey (fielded July–December 2024), which publishes state medians only — there is no published Milwaukee-metro-specific (or any city-specific) cost figure from CareScout or any other primary source. Any "Milwaukee assisted living costs $X/month" figure seen elsewhere is not a CareScout figure and should not be treated as verified.

CategoryWisconsin annual median Wisconsin monthly (annual ÷ 12)National annual median
Homemaker services (non-medical home care)$82,368/yr≈ $6,864/mo$75,504/yr
Home health aide$86,944/yr≈ $7,245/mo$77,792/yr
Assisted living facility$73,800/yr≈ $6,150/mo$70,800/yr
Nursing home, semi-private room$120,815/yr≈ $10,068/mo$111,325/yr
Nursing home, private room$135,050/yr≈ $11,254/mo$127,750/yr

Wisconsin ranked among the 17 highest-cost states nationally for both homemaker services and home health aide services in the 2024 survey, and every category above exceeded the national median. There is no published memory-care cost median anywhere — CareScout does not survey memory care as its own category, for Wisconsin or any other state. Any memory-care price figure online is an estimate or extrapolation from assisted living data, not a primary-sourced figure. Get quotes in writing from each community you tour.

Questions families ask

Is memory care more expensive than regular assisted living in Wisconsin?

There is no published memory-care cost median for Wisconsin or any other state -- CareScout, the primary national cost-of-care survey source, does not survey memory care as its own category. Any memory-care price figure you see online is an estimate or extrapolation, not a primary-sourced figure.

What are common early warning signs that a loved one may need memory care rather than aging in place?

Common signs include getting lost in familiar places, missed medications or medication errors, unpaid bills or financial confusion, unsafe stove or appliance use, significant weight loss, wandering, and increasing difficulty managing personal hygiene -- especially when these appear together rather than as a single isolated incident.

What's the difference between Family Care and IRIS in Wisconsin?

Family Care is a managed long-term-care program in which a Managed Care Organization coordinates a care plan and provider network for the member. IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) is a self-directed alternative in which the participant manages an individualized budget and can hire and direct their own workers.

Does Family Care or IRIS pay for room and board at an assisted living community?

Generally, no. CBRF and RCAC care services can be covered through Family Care or IRIS as home-and-community-based supports, but room and board is generally not covered by either program -- this should be verified per-placement, not assumed.

Is Wisconsin a Medicaid expansion state?

No. Wisconsin has not adopted the ACA's Medicaid expansion. Instead, it runs BadgerCare Plus, which covers childless adults up to 100% of the Federal Poverty Level rather than the ACA's 138% FPL expansion threshold, making Wisconsin a partial-expansion/non-expansion state.

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