These are the actual figures California’s Department of Social Services publishes for IHSS every month — not estimates. The same county negotiates its own wage, has its own caseload, and authorizes hours a little differently, and the gaps between counties are often bigger than people expect. Every county name below links to that county’s full guide.

Source: CDSS Monthly IHSS Program Data, July 2026. Figures are statewide/per-county totals as published — not a live feed. Find your county’s full guide →

💰Which counties pay the most

Every California county negotiates its own IHSS provider wage separately — there is no single statewide rate. The gap between the highest and lowest currently runs over $6/hour.

Highest Wages
CountyWage
1San Francisco$23.00/hr
2Alameda$22.10/hr
3San Mateo$21.70/hr
4San Luis Obispo$21.40/hr
5Monterey$21.04/hr
6Ventura$20.97/hr
7Napa$20.90/hr
8Santa Cruz$20.90/hr
9Santa Clara$20.44/hr
10Marin$20.40/hr
Lowest Wages
CountyWage
1Siskiyou$16.90/hr
2El Dorado$17.40/hr
3Colusa$17.40/hr
4Tulare$17.50/hr
5Merced$17.50/hr
6Mariposa$17.50/hr
7Kings$17.50/hr
8Lassen$17.55/hr
9Lake$17.55/hr
10Inyo$17.65/hr

Find your own county’s exact rate and effective date on its county guide.

⏱️Which counties authorize the most hours

Average monthly hours authorized per recipient varies by county too — caseload mix, cost of living, and how assessments are typically conducted all play a role. This is an average across all recipients in the county, not a cap any one person should expect.

Highest Average Hours
CountyAvg Hours/Month
1Placer144.2 hrs/mo
2Sierra141.1 hrs/mo
3El Dorado140.9 hrs/mo
4Lake139.3 hrs/mo
5San Mateo135.8 hrs/mo
6Inyo135.5 hrs/mo
7Santa Clara132.6 hrs/mo
8Yolo129.6 hrs/mo
9Yuba128.6 hrs/mo
10Del Norte128.4 hrs/mo
Lowest Average Hours
CountyAvg Hours/Month
1Siskiyou78.1 hrs/mo
2Trinity85.1 hrs/mo
3Alpine86.5 hrs/mo
4San Joaquin98.0 hrs/mo
5Sutter98.6 hrs/mo
6Plumas101.2 hrs/mo
7Stanislaus103.8 hrs/mo
8Tuolumne106.4 hrs/mo
9Lassen107.1 hrs/mo
10Imperial108.6 hrs/mo

Curious how your own hours get calculated? See how Functional Index ranks work →

👥The biggest caseloads

Los Angeles County alone serves more IHSS recipients than the next four largest counties combined.

Largest Recipient Populations
CountyRecipients
1Los Angeles312,322
2Riverside64,171
3San Bernardino57,648
4Orange57,469
5San Diego51,084
6Sacramento45,673
7Santa Clara38,707
8Alameda34,949
9Fresno31,192
10San Francisco30,703

🛡️Protective Supervision, by county

Statewide, 11.1% of IHSS recipients receive some Protective Supervision hours — but that rate varies a lot by county, likely reflecting differences in caseload mix and how consistently PS gets documented and approved at assessment.

Highest PS Rate (share of recipients)
County% on PS
1El Dorado22.9%
2Placer21.8%
3Del Norte20.6%
4San Luis Obispo19.4%
5Amador19.4%
6Mono19.0%
7Yolo19.0%
8Inyo19.0%
9Nevada17.7%
10Yuba16.4%

Not sure if you or the person you care for qualifies? See who qualifies for Protective Supervision →

Want to know exactly where you stand?

These are statewide and county averages. For your own situation — your actual hours, your actual appeal odds — the Clarity Report gives you a personalized estimate.