How Much Does Adult Day Care Cost? Prices by State, and How to Pay Less

You've finally found a center that might be right. Then comes the question nobody likes to ask out loud: can we actually afford this?

It's a fair worry. Care costs add up fast, and the prices you find online are all over the place. The good news: adult day care is usually the lowest-cost way to get real, full-day care, and most families don't pay the full price, because Medicaid, the VA, insurance or a tax credit covers part of it.

This guide shows what a day costs where you live, what that price includes, and every realistic way to pay less.

How Much Does a Day Cost?

According to the CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, the most widely used study of care prices, the national median for adult day care is $95 a day. That works out to about:

• $9,880 a year for two days a week
• $14,820 a year for three days a week
• $24,700 a year for five days a week

Interestingly, 2025 was the first year in a while that the price fell: down 5% from $100 in 2024, while most other kinds of care got 1% to 5% more expensive. CareScout explains that private rates at adult day centers are "heavily influenced by Medicaid reimbursement rates, which serve as a benchmark in many markets."

Cost by State

Where you live matters more than almost anything else. The median ranges from $58 a day in Alabama to $267 in Montana. Tap your state:

Treat these as a starting point, not a quote. Each state's median comes from a limited number of centers, and two centers in the same city can charge very different rates. The survey also converts hourly and half-day prices into a full-day rate, so your center's price sheet may look different.

How It Compares With Other Care

For families who need someone with their loved one during the workday, adult day care is almost always the least expensive paid option. Compare the same year of weekday care in your state:

A full day at an adult day center costs about the same as three hours of an in-home aide: $95 versus $35 an hour.

That doesn't make it right for everyone. Assisted living and nursing homes provide 24-hour care, and in-home help comes to you. But if your loved one can live at home with family in the evenings, adult day care stretches a care budget further than anything else.

What the Daily Rate Includes (and What Costs Extra)

Most centers include the basics in their daily rate. Extras vary a lot, so always ask for the full price sheet.

Half Days

Many centers offer half days, usually up to about four hours. There's no national figure, but published price sheets we found charge roughly half to three-quarters of the full-day rate. For example, one Colorado center charges $190 for a full day and $98 for a half day; one Iowa center $67 and $50, with transportation and meals included.

The Fine Print to Ask About

• Late pickup fees. Often charged by the minute or the quarter hour after closing.
• Absences. Some centers charge for scheduled days you skip without notice, or ask you to prepay a monthly plan with no refunds for missed days.
• Minimum attendance. Some require at least two days a week.
• Annual or enrollment fees. Ask whether there's a one-time or yearly fee.

Why Prices Vary So Much

• The kind of center. Social programs (meals, activities, supervision) usually cost less than adult day health centers with nurses and therapists. Nationally, about half of centers are mostly social and the rest add health services.
• Medicaid rates. Because Medicaid pays for most participants, its rates set the tone for private prices in many areas.
• Where you live. Wages and rents drive most of the difference between states and between cities and rural areas.
• Who runs it. Half of US centers are nonprofit or government-run, and many of them offer sliding-scale fees.
• Specialized care. Programs for advanced dementia or complex medical needs need more staff per participant.

Who Pays: Medicare, Medicaid and Everything Else

Here's what does help:

Medicaid

Medicaid is by far the biggest payer. According to the CDC, about 65% of adult day participants had some or all of their care paid by Medicaid in the past month, and about 3 in 4 centers are set up to take Medicaid. It usually pays through home and community-based (HCBS) waiver programs, which nearly every state runs, and adult day health is one of their standard services. Your loved one has to qualify financially and medically, and some states have waiting lists. Call your state Medicaid office or your Area Agency on Aging to ask what your state's program is called.

PACE

If your loved one is 55 or older and needs a nursing home level of care, a PACE program may cover adult day care along with all their other care, with no premium if they have Medicaid. See our guide: What Is the PACE Program?

The VA

Veterans enrolled in VA health care may get adult day health care through the VA, at a VA center, a State Veterans Home or a community center. Depending on disability rating and income, there may be a copay of up to $15 a day. Ask your VA social worker about VA Form 10-10EC.

Long-Term Care Insurance

Most long-term care policies sold today can be used at adult day centers, usually once the policyholder needs help with at least two daily activities or has a cognitive impairment. Check the policy's "benefit trigger" and elimination period.

Area Agencies on Aging and Caregiver Programs

Your local Area Agency on Aging may offer limited help through the National Family Caregiver Support Program, especially as respite for caregivers. Find yours through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116. See also our guide to respite care.

The Tax Credit Most Families Miss

If you pay for adult day care so that you can work, the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit can apply. Despite the name, it isn't just for children: the IRS's own example is a woman who "pays an adult daycare center to care for Sam to allow her to work."

Some families may also be able to count part of adult day costs as a medical expense, for example the nursing or personal care part for someone who is chronically ill under a care plan, but the IRS doesn't address adult day care directly, and you can't use the same costs for both the credit and the deduction. This one is worth asking a tax professional about.

7 Ways to Pay Less

1. Apply for Medicaid early if your loved one might qualify, and ask about waiting lists.
2. Ask about a sliding scale. Many nonprofit centers charge according to income.
3. Use half days if a full day isn't needed.
4. Start with two or three days a week instead of five.
5. Check the VA if your loved one served.
6. Claim the dependent care credit or use a dependent care FSA if you work.
7. Ask your Area Agency on Aging about caregiver respite funds and local grants.

Finding Centers That Accept Medicaid

We list 4,127 adult day centers, and 793 of them say on their websites or listings that they accept Medicaid. Many more do without saying so, so always ask. Pick your state to see where they are:

Next Steps

1. Check your state's price on the map above.
2. Call two or three centers and ask for their full price sheet.
3. Ask each one about Medicaid, the VA, sliding scales and half days.
4. Check your coverage: Medicaid, PACE, long-term care insurance, Medicare Advantage extras.
5. Keep receipts for the dependent care credit if you work.

The sticker price is rarely the real price. Between Medicaid, the VA, sliding scales and tax credits, most families pay far less than the median.

Good care doesn't have to mean the most expensive care. For many families, a few days a week at an adult day center is the most affordable way to keep a loved one safe, engaged and at home.