Indicator

Nursing Home Cost

The cost of nursing home care remains unaffordable for middle-income Americans in every state. The average annual per person cost of nursing home care is more than $108,000 a year in a private room, more than twice the typical income for an older family. The cost went up in 34 states between 2019 and 2021. When the cost of care exceeds median income by that much, many people with LTSS needs quickly exhaust their savings and must enroll in Medicaid for assistance. The cost of nursing home care as percentage of median income ranges from less than 170 percent in Missouri and Illinois to more than 300 percent in New York, Connecticut, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Alaska.

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153%
Best State Performance
213%
US Value

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Methodology

The median daily private-room rate (multiplied by 365 days) divided by the median household income for households headed by someone aged 65 or older. 

Cost data for the current year are from the Genworth 2021 Cost of Care Survey and income data are from the AARP Public Policy Institute analysis (PPI) of the 2019 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample.  Reference year cost data are from the Genworth 2019 Cost of Care Survey, and income data are from the 2018 American Community Survey.

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