California has the largest home health agency market in the United States, with over 3,000 Medicare-certified agencies serving patients across its 58 counties. From the Bay Area to Los Angeles and San Diego, patients and referral sources can choose from a dense network of providers — but that density also demands more careful evaluation. CMS star ratings, ownership type, and certification date are the three fastest signals for separating high-performing agencies from lower-quality operators.
Browse all 3,034 California agencies
Filter by star rating, city, and ownership type.
As of the April 2026 CMS CASPER data release, California has 3,034 active Medicare-certified home health agencies — roughly 25% of the national total. Los Angeles County alone accounts for the largest concentration, followed by Orange County, San Diego County, and the Bay Area. The density of agencies in Southern California reflects both the state's large elderly population and historically permissive certification conditions, which led to a significant increase in new agency registrations during the 2010s.
CMS publishes 1–5 star ratings for home health agencies based on patient outcomes and experience surveys. In California, the distribution of star ratings skews toward the lower end compared to national averages. Industry analysts attribute this to the high proportion of newer agencies and the competitive pressures in markets like Los Angeles, where some agencies have struggled to maintain consistent staffing and care quality. Referral coordinators and discharge planners typically filter to 4-star or 5-star agencies when geography allows. HHAdata.com lets you filter California results by minimum star rating alongside state and county.
The overwhelming majority of California home health agencies are proprietary (for-profit). Non-profit agencies — often affiliated with hospital systems or faith-based organizations — make up a smaller share but tend to have higher average star ratings and longer certification histories. Government-operated agencies are rare in California. When evaluating agencies for post-acute referrals or personal care, ownership type can be a useful secondary filter after star rating and recertification date.
Home health agencies in California must hold both Medicare certification (CMS certification number, or CCN) and a California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Home Health Agency license. The CDPH license is separate from the federal CMS certification and carries its own inspection cycle. Agencies without an active CDPH license cannot legally operate in California regardless of their federal certification status. Always verify both license types when conducting due diligence. CMS deficiency histories and CDPH inspection records are available through their respective public portals.
Use the search filters to narrow by California, then apply a minimum star rating and ownership type to match your criteria. The full dataset — all 3,034 CA agencies with every field — is available via the Pro or Enterprise plan. Researchers and healthcare consultants typically use the export to build target lists for outreach, market analysis, or due diligence workflows.
How many Medicare home health agencies are in California?
As of April 2026, California has 3,034 active Medicare-certified home health agencies listed in the CMS CASPER dataset.
How do I find a 5-star home health agency in California?
Use the HHAdata search tool, filter by California, and set minimum star rating to 5. You can further narrow by city or county using the name search field.
Are all California home health agencies licensed by the state?
Medicare-certified agencies (which appear in this database) hold a CMS Certification Number. They are also required to hold a California CDPH Home Health Agency license. Verify both credentials independently.
What is the difference between proprietary and non-profit home health agencies?
Proprietary agencies are for-profit businesses. Non-profit agencies reinvest revenue into services rather than distributing it to owners. Both can be Medicare-certified. Ownership type is one signal in quality evaluation — check CMS star ratings for a more direct quality indicator.
Download the full California dataset — 3,034 agencies with star ratings, contact info, ownership type, and certification dates — as CSV or JSON.
Get Full Access →Data sourced from CMS CASPER (dataset 6jpm-sxkc). Updated monthly. Not affiliated with Medicare or CMS. Official source