This page collects the statistics that describe the US assisted living industry: how many communities and residents there are, who lives in assisted living, how full communities are, what it costs, who pays, and how families find and choose a community. It is written for operators, marketers and anyone researching senior living.
Each figure links to its source and shows the year of the data. Federal data comes from CDC's National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study, which counts assisted living within "residential care communities." Occupancy comes from NIC MAP, the industry's standard market data. Costs come from the CareScout Cost of Care Survey. All figures were checked on 2026-10-08.
How big the assisted living industry is
Counts vary by source because states license assisted living under different names. CDC counts "residential care communities"; AHCA/NCAL reports assisted living specifically.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| There were about 32,200 residential care communities in the US, with 1,313,600 licensed beds. | CDC National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats | 2022 |
| Residential care communities housed 988,800 residents. | CDC National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats | 2022 |
| 81.5% of residential care communities had for-profit ownership. | CDC National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats | 2022 |
| AHCA/NCAL counts about 41,465 assisted living communities with nearly 1.4 million licensed beds, averaging 33 beds each. | AHCA/NCAL, Assisted Living Facts and Figures | 2026 |
| 57.3% of assisted living communities are chain-affiliated and 42.7% are independently owned. | AHCA/NCAL, Assisted Living Facts and Figures | 2026 |
| Assisted living employed 512,300 people as of June 2026. | AHCA/NCAL, Assisted Living Facts and Figures | 2026 |
| Assisted living generates $43 billion in direct economic activity and $86 billion in total. | AHCA/NCAL, Assisted Living Facts and Figures | 2026 |
AHCA/NCAL's community and resident counts draw on CDC data, and its workforce and economic figures come from its own analysis of BLS, CMS and IMPLAN data. Use the CDC figures when you need a federal count with a fixed year.
Who lives in assisted living
Residents are mostly very old women who need daily help, and a large share live with dementia. These figures come from CDC's 2022 survey of residential care communities.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 53% of residents were aged 85 or older. | CDC NCHS Data Brief 506 | 2022 |
| 67% of residents were women. | CDC NCHS Data Brief 506 | 2022 |
| 44% of residents had ever been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia. | CDC NCHS Data Brief 506 | 2022 |
| 62% of residents needed help with 3 or more activities of daily living. | CDC NCHS Data Brief 506 | 2022 |
| Bathing (75%) and walking (71%) were the activities residents most often needed help with. | CDC NCHS Data Brief 506 | 2022 |
The dementia share explains why memory care is a major search category in its own right. Families searching "memory care near me" are often looking for a dedicated dementia unit inside an assisted living community.
Occupancy and supply
Occupancy has risen while new construction has slowed, which means fewer open units in many markets.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living occupancy was 89.1% in the third quarter of 2026, up from 88.3% the prior quarter. | NIC MAP, October 2026 release | 2026 |
| Overall senior housing occupancy was 90.4%, and independent living was 91.7%. | NIC MAP, October 2026 release | 2026 |
| 16 of the 31 primary US markets had senior housing occupancy above 90%. | NIC MAP, October 2026 release | 2026 |
| Senior housing inventory grew just 0.4% year over year, near record lows. | NIC MAP, October 2026 release | 2026 |
NIC MAP headline figures cover the 31 largest US metro markets, so small towns and rural areas are less represented. One linking site describes a community reaching "full occupancy" through local SEO; we could not find published data behind that example and have left it out.
What assisted living costs and who pays
Most assisted living is paid privately. Medicaid covers care services for a minority of residents but never room and board.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| The national median cost of an assisted living community was $6,200 a month, or $74,400 a year, up 5% from 2024. | CareScout, Cost of Care Survey | 2025 |
| A semi-private nursing home room cost a median $9,581 a month ($114,975 a year). | CareScout, Cost of Care Survey | 2025 |
| In-home care from an aide or homemaker cost a median $35 an hour. | CareScout, Cost of Care Survey | 2025 |
| About 17% of residents were Medicaid beneficiaries, rising to about 32% among residents under 75. | CDC NCHS Data Brief 506 | 2022 |
| 63.8% of Medicaid long-term services and supports spending went to home and community-based services, which include assisted living services in many states. | AHCA/NCAL, citing CMS Medicaid reports | FY 2023 |
CareScout surveyed providers from July to November 2025. Costs vary widely by state and metro area, so families compare local prices; publishing a starting price on your website answers that question early.
The families who search and choose
The decision is usually made with or by an adult child, and demand is rising with the oldest age groups.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| The US population aged 65 and older reached about 61.2 million, up 13.0% since 2020. | US Census Bureau | 2024 |
| 63 million Americans, about 1 in 4 adults, are family caregivers. | AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving, Caregiving in the US 2025 | 2025 |
| 75% of adults 50 and older want to remain in their current home as they age. | AARP, 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey | 2024 |
| 97% of US consumers read online reviews for local businesses, and 41% always read them. | BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 | 2026 |
| 68% of consumers will only use businesses rated 4 stars or higher. | BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 | 2026 |
| 71% of consumers use Google to read reviews of local businesses. | BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 | 2026 |
| 45% of consumers have used ChatGPT or another generative AI tool for local business recommendations. | BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 | 2026 |
No federal survey measures how families search for assisted living specifically. BrightLocal's survey of 1,002 US adults covers local businesses in general. The AARP preference figure matters for marketing too: most older adults would prefer to stay home, so the move usually follows a health event or a caregiver's decision that home is no longer safe.
What these numbers mean for assisted living communities
- Your searcher is usually the adult child. With 63 million family caregivers and more than half of residents aged 85 or older, pages should answer the caregiver's questions: cost, levels of care, memory care, visiting and how to tour.
- Local search decides the shortlist. Families search by town ("assisted living in Naperville") and compare star ratings before they call. A complete Google Business Profile with the right categories, photos and recent reviews is the first thing they see. The free Rank.ai Google Business Profile grader checks a profile in a minute.
- Show up across the whole service area. Families often search from where they live, which may be another neighborhood or city. A map scan shows where your community ranks in Google Maps at each point around your address, and our guide to ranking in nearby cities covers how to extend that reach.
- High occupancy changes the goal. At 89% average occupancy with little new supply, many communities need fewer leads and better-qualified ones. Pages for memory care, respite stays and pricing attract families who are ready to tour.
- Publish pricing guidance. With a $6,200 median monthly cost and only 17% of residents on Medicaid, families screen on price first. A starting price and a clear list of what is included saves sales time. Our nursing home SEO guide covers the skilled nursing side of the same search.
FAQ
How many assisted living facilities are there in the US?
CDC counted about 32,200 residential care communities, which include assisted living, with 1,313,600 licensed beds in 2022. AHCA/NCAL reports about 41,465 assisted living communities with nearly 1.4 million licensed beds. The difference comes from how each source defines and counts communities across state licensing categories.
What is the average cost of assisted living?
The national median was $6,200 a month, or $74,400 a year, in CareScout's 2025 Cost of Care Survey, up 5% from 2024. Costs vary widely by state and city.
What is the occupancy rate for assisted living?
NIC MAP reported assisted living occupancy of 89.1% in the third quarter of 2026, up from 88.3% the prior quarter. Overall senior housing occupancy was 90.4%, close to its record high.
What percentage of assisted living residents have dementia?
CDC found that 44% of residential care community residents had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia in 2022. AHCA/NCAL describes it as about 4 in 10 residents.
Does Medicaid pay for assisted living?
Medicaid can pay for care services in assisted living in many states, usually through home and community-based services waivers, but it does not pay for room and board. About 17% of residential care residents were Medicaid beneficiaries in 2022.
How old is the average assisted living resident?
CDC does not publish an average age, but 53% of residential care residents were 85 or older in 2022. AHCA/NCAL describes most residents as aged 85 and older, female and non-Hispanic white.
Sources and method
We used federal data from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau as the base, NIC MAP for occupancy, CareScout for cost, AHCA/NCAL for industry structure and workforce, and AARP and BrightLocal for family and consumer behavior, noting sample sizes. Where sources disagree on counts, we show both and explain why. We left out claims with no traceable source. All figures and links were checked on 2026-10-08.
