Home Care in Minnesota: Licensed In-Home Care Agencies by City

Aging at home in Minnesota

Minnesota organizes aging services through the Minnesota Board on Aging, and the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey shows 18.2 percent of residents are 65 or older. A single phone line, Minnesota Aging Pathways at 800-333-2433, connects callers with the area agencies that cover the Arrowhead, Central Minnesota, the Metropolitan area, the Minnesota River region, and Southeast Minnesota, among other planning areas. That reach matters because the same state includes dense Minneapolis and Saint Paul neighborhoods and long stretches of lake and forest country in the north.

18.2% of Minnesota residents are 65 or older. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year estimates, table B01001 (via Census Reporter).

Cities, towns and neighborhoods we cover

In Minneapolis, families compare Linden Hills, Powderhorn Park, Longfellow, and Loring Park; in Saint Paul, they look at Summit Hill, Highland Park, Macalester-Groveland, and Como Park. Rochester is organized around districts such as Downtown Waterfront and Heart of the City, with Lincolnshire and southwest Rochester on the tornado map. Bloomington, home of the Mall of America, sits on the metro's southern edge. Farther out, Duluth on Lake Superior, Mankato on the Minnesota River, and Moorhead on the Red River each serve their own region, so an agency that covers the Twin Cities may not reach them.

• Minneapolis: Linden Hills, Powderhorn Park, Longfellow, Loring Park, Cedar-Riverside
• Saint Paul: Summit Hill, Highland Park, Macalester-Groveland, Como Park, Dayton's Bluff
• Rochester: Downtown Waterfront, Heart of the City, Discovery Square, Lincolnshire

Regions

• Twin Cities Metropolitan Area: Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and suburbs such as Bloomington, along the Mississippi River
• Arrowhead: Northeast Minnesota along Lake Superior, with Duluth and the Superior National Forest
• Southeast Minnesota: Rochester area, near the Mississippi River in the part of the state the glaciers missed
• Minnesota River Valley: Mankato and south-central Minnesota
• Red River Valley: Western border region with Moorhead

Familiar places

Mall of America (Bloomington); Minnehaha Falls area (Minneapolis); Chain of Lakes (Minneapolis); Itasca State Park, source of the Mississippi River (north-central Minnesota); Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (Superior National Forest, northeast); Voyageurs National Park (northern Minnesota); Lake Superior shoreline (Duluth).

Planning care around Minnesota's seasons and geography

Few states ask families to plan for as wide a temperature range as Minnesota, which has recorded both -60 and 114 degrees F. Blizzards close roads in winter, so ask agencies how they decide whether a visit goes ahead and who calls the family when it does not. Spring and summer bring thunderstorms, hail, derechos, and tornadoes. Rochester was struck in both 2010 and 2019, so a storm plan with a backup caregiver is sensible. Winter routines can differ between the Arrowhead and the Twin Cities, so ask for specifics for your own county before agreeing to a schedule.

• Minnesota's recorded temperatures range from -60 degrees F at Tower to 114 degrees F at Moorhead, with blizzards, thunderstorms, hail, derechos, and tornadoes among its weather events.
• The growing season runs about 90 days in the far northeast to about 160 days in the southeast, a reminder of how much conditions vary between the Arrowhead and the Mississippi River valley.
• Tornadoes struck Rochester neighborhoods including Lincolnshire in 2010 and southwest Rochester in 2019.
• The Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park region in the north contrasts sharply with the Twin Cities metro, where most services are concentrated.

Minnesota resources for families

• Licensing. Minnesota licenses home care providers under a basic home care license, which covers non-clinical help with dressing, bathing, toileting, and household tasks, or a comprehensive home care license that adds clinical services (Minn. Stat. 144A.471). Confirm current requirements with the state before you hire. Minnesota Department of Health, Health Regulation Division (Home Care Licensing)
• Aging services. Call Minnesota Aging Pathways (formerly Senior LinkAge Line) at 800-333-2433 to be connected with the local Area Agency on Aging among the state's planning and service areas. Minnesota Board on Aging
• Help paying. Minnesota's Medicaid home and community-based program for older adults is Elderly Waiver. Eligibility is based on income and care needs.