Nursing Home Statistics [2022]

Research Summary. Nursing homes and residential care (assisted living) facilities have become more and more needed as the large Baby Boomer generation ages. Here are some nursing home statistics:

• There are about 1,246,079 residents in U.S. nursing homes.

• There are about 26,514 nursing homes in the U.S.

• 70% of people who reach the age of 65 will need long-term care at some point in life.

• By 2050, up to 30 million people in the Americas will require long-term care services.

For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways:
Population | Trends and Projections | Industry | Demographics

Long-Term Care Statistics by Nursing Home Population

• There are over 810,000 people living in assisted living facilities in the United States.

• 4% of U.S. seniors live in nursing homes.

• 2% of U.S. seniors live in assisted living facilities.

• 52% of the U.S. assisted living population is over the age of 85.

• 65% of people use in-home care services.

• California has the most nursing home residents of any state at 99,956.

Long-Term Care Trends and Projections

• The number of nursing home residents has dropped from 1.39 million in 2010 to 1.29 million in 2020.

  Here is the number of U.S. nursing home residents each year from 2010 to 2020:

  Year	Number of Nursing Home Residents
  2010	1.385 million
  2011	1.370 million
  2012	1.367 million
  2013	1.360 million
  2014	1.348 million
  2015	1.352 million
  2016	1.329 million
  2017	1.322 million
  2018	N/A
  2019	1.246 million
  2020	1.290 million

• There are about 53 million unpaid family caregivers in the U.S.

  It’s estimated that 21.3% of Americans have provided care to a child with special needs or an adult in the past 12 months. In addition, 26% are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

• By 2050, an estimated 27 million to 30 million people in the Americas will require long-term care services.

  This accounts for only adults who are over the age of 60, and it’s over triple the number of people who need long-term care as of 2019 (8 million people).

• As of 2022, there are 26,514 nursing care facilities (nursing homes) in the U.S.

  This is an increase of 2% from 2021, and the number of facilities has seen an average annual growth rate of 2% from 2017 to 2022. Throughout 2022, the number of nursing homes is expected to grow by 2.2%.

Nursing Home Statistics by the Nursing Home Industry

• The market size of the U.S. nursing home industry is $146.9 billion in 2022.

  In 2021, its market size was $140.6 billion, and in 2020, it was $134.95 billion.

  The U.S. nursing home market size has seen an annual growth rate of 1.9% from 2017 to 2022, and it’s expected to have a 4.5% growth rate in 2022.

• About 69.3% of nursing homes are for-profit organizations.

  23.5% are nonprofit organizations, and the remaining 7.2% are run by the government.

  In contrast, 81% of residential care communities are for-profit companies, 17.7% are nonprofits, and 1.3% are government-owned.

• The average monthly cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home in the U.S. is $7,756.

  The average cost of a private nursing home room is $8,821 a month.

  The state with the highest nursing home costs is Alaska, where private rooms cost $36,378 a month on average, and semi-private rooms cost $37,143 a month.

  Missouri has the cheapest average rates at $5,749 a month for a private room and $5,080 a month for a semi-private room.

• In 2022, there are 1,721,732 nursing home employees in the U.S.

  The number of employees working for nursing care facilities slowly but steadily declined from 2012 to 2020, but now it’s on an upward swing, seeing an average annual growth rate of 0.6% from 2017 to 2022.

  In 2022 alone, experts predict that the number of nursing home employees will increase by 3.2%.

• The average U.S. nursing home has 108.6 beds.

  New York is the state with the highest average number of beds in a nursing home at 186.3 beds, and Alaska has the lowest number at 41.4 beds.

Long-Term Care Statistics by Nursing Home Demographics

• 54.6% of nursing home residents are women.

  That means that just 35.4% of nursing home residents are men. This ratio is similar to the ratio of male and female assisted living residents as well, where 70.6% are women, and 29.4% are men.

• 47.8% of nursing home residents have Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.

  This is the second-most common condition found in nursing homes, behind hypertension, which 71.5% of nursing home residents suffer from.

• 23% of assisted living facilities offer dementia care units.

  14.3% of assisted living facilities have a wing, floor, or other section dedicated to dementia care, and 8.7% only serve adults who have dementia rather than just having a section for these patients.

• The majority of nursing home residents are non-Hispanic and white.

  Here is the breakdown of nursing home residents and assisted living residents by race:

  Race	Share of Nursing Home Residents	Share of Assisted Living Residents
  Non-Hispanic white	75.1%	81.4%
  Non-Hispanic Black	14.3%	4.1%
  Hispanic	5.4%	3.1%
  Non-Hispanic other	5.1%	11.5%

• People who are 85 years old or older make up the largest share of nursing home residents.

  Here is the breakdown of the share of nursing home residents each age group accounts for:

  Age Group	Share of Nursing Home Residents
  85 and up	38.6%
  75-84	26.7%
  65-74	18.2%
  Under 65	16.5%

Nursing Home Statistics FAQ

1. How many Americans live in nursing homes?

   About 1.246 million Americans live in nursing homes. In addition to this, there are more than 810,000 Americans who live in assisted living facilities.

   Assisted living facilities provide less hands-on care than nursing homes do and are designed for people who can still live independently but need some care. However, many of these residents move to nursing homes just a couple of years after they move into assisted living facilities.

   As far as nursing home residents go, though, California has the greatest number of any state, with about 99,956 residents. Texas and New York are close behind with 90,708 and 89,775, respectively, and Alaska has the least with 499 nursing home residents.

2. Home many nursing homes are there in the U.S.?

   There are about 26,514 nursing homes in the U.S. This is the number of nursing homes as of 2022, and it is 2% more than there were in 2021. This is on pace with the 2% average annual growth rate of the number of nursing home facilities from 2017 to 2022.

   This growth is only expected to continue, and experts predict that 2022 will see an increase of 2.2% in the number of nursing homes in the U.S.

   Of these nursing homes, almost 70% are for-profit organizations. 23.5% are nonprofits, and 7.2% are run by the government.

3. What is the average lifespan in a nursing home?

   The average lifespan in a nursing home is 2.2 years. This means that the average person who moves into a nursing home lives for about 2.2 years. This varies greatly depending on the individual, of course, but that’s the average.

   Interestingly, women typically need long-term care of some kind (at-home, assisted living, or nursing home) for a longer time than men do, needing an average of 3.7 years to men’s 2.2 years.

   In addition, 20% of people who are currently 65 years old will need long-term care of some kind for more than five years, and about 33% will never need long-term care.

4. What percentage of Americans over 65 live in nursing homes?

   4% of Americans over 65 live in nursing homes. In addition, 2% of Americans in this same age group live in assisted living facilities.

   Of those who do live in nursing homes, 18.2% are between the ages of 65 and 74, 26.7% are between the ages of 75 and 84, and 38.6% are 85 or older.

   While people who are over age 65 make up the largest share of nursing home residents, there are also a significant number of people under the age of 65 who live in nursing homes. 16.5% of all long-term nursing home residents are under the age of 65, which isn’t an insignificant percentage.

5. How big is the U.S. nursing home industry?

   The U.S. nursing home industry is $146.9 billion in size. Just one year earlier, in 2021, the industry’s market size was $134.95 billion. It’s already experienced an average annual growth rate of 1.9% from 2017 to 2022, and experts predict that it will grow at an even faster rate of 4.5% in 2022.

   The market is made up of 26,514 nursing homes in the U.S., and this number is also growing: It’s estimated that the number of nursing home businesses will increase by 2.2% throughout 2022.

   About 1.7 million people work in these nursing homes. The number of nursing home employees was shrinking from 2012 to 2020, but since 2020, it’s been on an upward trajectory and is expected to increase by 3.2% in 2022 alone.

Conclusion

In the U.S., there are about 1.25 million people who live in nursing homes and 810,000 people who live in assisted living facilities. By 2050, it’s estimated that this number will more than triple, making the need for nursing homes and assisted living facilities more significant than ever.

This industry is already seeing significant growth, though, as it’s expected to see a 4.5% growth rate in its market size in 2022 alone, and the number of nursing home facilities is expected to grow by 2.2% during this same year.

References

1. Consumer Affairs. “2021 Assisted Living Statistics.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

2. Administration for Community Living. “How Much Care Will You Need?” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

3. Statista. “Number of Residents in Certified Nursing Facilities in the United States as of 2019, by State.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

4. KFF. “Total Number of Residents in Certified Nursing Facilities.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

5. AARP. “Caregiving in the United States 2020.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

6. Pan American Health Organization. “Number of Older Adults with Long-Term Care Needs Will Triple by 2050, PAHO Warns.” Accessed on May 20, 2022.

7. IBISWorld. “Nursing Care Facilities in the U.S. – Number of Businesses 2002-2027.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

8. IBISWorld. “Nursing Care Facilities in the U.S. – Market Size 2002-2027.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

9. CDC. “Long-Term Care Providers and Services Users in the United States, 2015-2016.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

10. Statista. “Average Monthly Cost of Nursing Home in the United States in 2020, by Room Type and State.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

11. IBISWorld. “Nursing Care Facilities in the U.S. – Employment Statistics 2002-2027.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

12. KFF. “Average Number of Certified Nursing Facility Beds.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

13. National Library of Medicine. “Mortality in Nursing Home Residents: A Longitudinal Study Over Three Years.” Accessed on May 10, 2022.

Author

Abby McCain

Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.