The US has about 32,200 assisted living and other residential care communities, and senior housing occupancy has risen for 21 straight quarters. Each section leads with the newest figures, and every number links to its original source, checked on 2026-10-16.
How big the assisted living industry is
States license assisted living under different names, so CDC counts "residential care communities" and AHCA/NCAL uses a broader definition.
- 32,200residential care communities, with 1,313,600 licensed beds.CDC FastStats2022
- 41,465assisted living communities and nearly 1.4 million beds, by AHCA/NCAL's count.AHCA/NCAL2026
- 41 bedsis the average community's licensed capacity.CDC NPALS tables2022
- 81.5%of communities are for-profit; 17.4% are nonprofit.CDC NPALS tables2022
- 57.3%of communities belong to a chain.CDC NPALS tables2022
- 41.5%of communities are in the West; 8.2% are in the Northeast.CDC NPALS tables2022
- 80.6%of communities are in metropolitan areas.CDC NPALS tables2022
- 44.8%of communities are certified to take Medicaid.CDC NPALS tables2022
- 20%of communities specialize in dementia care or run a dementia unit.CDC NPALS tables2022
- $86 billionin total economic activity, $43 billion of it direct.AHCA/NCAL2026
- $11.2 billionin federal, state and local tax revenue.AHCA/NCAL2026
Who lives in assisted living
Residents are mostly women in their late 80s who need daily help, and close to half live with dementia.
- 1,016,400people lived in residential care on a given day.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 53%of residents are 85 or older, and 84% are 75 or older.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 67%of residents are women.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 92%of residents are non-Hispanic white.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 44%have Alzheimer's disease or another dementia.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 58%have high blood pressure, 33% heart disease, 26% depression.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 72%have two or more of 10 common chronic conditions.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 62%need help with 3 or more daily activities; 12% need none.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 75%need help bathing and 71% need help walking.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 60%need help dressing, 51% toileting and 28% eating.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 27%of residents fell in the past 90 days; 19% went to an ER.CDC NPALS tables2022
- 547 daysaverage stay in Q1 2024, down from 682 in 2023 (50+ communities).Bild & Co via McKnight's2024
Occupancy and supply
Occupancy has climbed for 21 straight quarters while new construction has slowed. NIC MAP covers the 31 largest metro markets.
- 89.1%assisted living occupancy in Q3 2026, up from 88.3% in Q2.NIC MAP, Oct 20262026
- 90.4%senior housing occupancy; independent living 91.7%.NIC MAP, Oct 20262026
- 16 of 31major markets top 90%, led by Boston at 94.0%.NIC MAP, Oct 20262026
- 0.4%yearly inventory growth, with 16,159 units under construction.NIC MAP, Oct 20262026
- 100,000+new units a year needed to hold 90% occupancy; 10,445 are being built.NIC MAP, Oct 20262026
- 87.9%assisted living occupancy in Q1 2026.NIC MAP, Apr 20262026
- 75.5%assisted living occupancy in Q2 2021, during the pandemic.NIC MAP, Jul 20212021
What assisted living costs and who pays
CareScout surveyed 4,944 assisted living communities from July to November 2025. Medicaid can cover care services but never room and board.
- $6,200national median monthly cost ($74,400 a year), up 5%.CareScout2025
- $5,900was the national monthly median a year earlier.CareScout2024
- $12,096a month in Hawaii, the costliest state; Alaska is next at $9,882.CareScout state data2025
- $4,369a month in Mississippi, the cheapest state; Alabama is $4,425.CareScout state data2025
- $9,581a month for a semi-private nursing home room.CareScout2025
- $35an hour for a non-medical in-home caregiver.CareScout2025
- 21%of adults 65+ have long-term care insurance.Pew Research2025
- 17%of residents use Medicaid, rising to 32% of those under 75.CDC Data Brief 5062022
- 63.8%of Medicaid long-term care spending ($145.9 billion) went to home and community-based services.AHCA/NCAL, citing CMSFY 2023
The older adults and families behind demand
The 85-and-older population will nearly double by 2040. Most older adults would still prefer to stay home.
- 13.7 millionAmericans 85+ projected in 2040, up from 7.0 million in 2025.Census projections2023
- 78.3 millionAmericans 65+ projected in 2040, up from 63.3 million in 2025.Census projections2023
- 61.2 millionAmericans were 65+ in 2024, up 13.0% since 2020.Census Bureau2024
- 1%of adults 65+ live in assisted living; 93% live in their own home.Pew Research2025
- 18%of older adults at home would move to assisted living if needed; 60% would stay home with care.Pew Research2025
- 28%of upper-income older adults would choose assisted living, against 13% of lower-income.Pew Research2025
- 7.4 millionAmericans 65+ live with Alzheimer's; nearly 13 million by 2050.Alzheimer's Association2026
- 63 millionAmericans are family caregivers, up nearly 50% since 2015.AARP and NAC2025
- 7 in 10family caregivers also hold a job.AARP and NAC2025
- 75%of adults 50+ want to stay in their current home as they age.AARP2024
- 70 dayslonger lifespan for residents of top-quartile senior housing versus bottom-quartile.NIC and NORC2024
How families search for and choose a community
Digital sources bring in most new assisted living leads and tours. These are vendor datasets, labelled with sample and period.
- 15.2%fewer monthly assisted living inquiries in 2025 than 2024 (5,000+ communities).Aline via McKnight's2025
- 10%drop in assisted living inquiry-to-move-in conversion in 2025.Aline via McKnight's2025
- 61%of adult children start searching after a health or memory decline (95,000+ surveys).Aline via McKnight's2025
- 55%of older adults start searching over care needs; 45% out of curiosity.Aline via McKnight's2025
- 79%of older adults say they are open to change; 43% of adult children think so.Aline via McKnight's2025
- 55%of searchers want a clearer picture of daily life before deciding.Aline via McKnight's2025
- 46.2%of senior living move-ins came from professional referrals in Q1 2024.Bild & Co via McKnight's2024
- 68%of assisted living and memory care leads, and 70% of tours, came from digital sources.Bild & Co via McKnight's2023
- 47.6%of all senior living leads were digital, against 47.1% from paid referrals (33 states).Bild & Co via McKnight's2023
- 35.64%of move-ins came from digital sources, second to paid referrals at 37.62%.Bild & Co via McKnight's2023
- 50% to 100%census in three months for a Maryland community after local SEO, Google Business Profile and ads work.Lead to Conversion case study2020
- 96phone calls and 183 direction requests came from that community's Google Business Profile.Lead to Conversion case study2020
Reviews, ratings and AI recommendations
BrightLocal surveyed 1,002 US adults about local businesses in general; no federal survey covers assisted living search.
- 97%of consumers read reviews of local businesses; 41% always do.BrightLocal2026
- 45%have used ChatGPT or another AI tool for local recommendations, up from 6%.BrightLocal2026
- 71%use Google to read local business reviews.BrightLocal2026
- 68%only use businesses rated 4 stars or higher.BrightLocal2026
- 74%only read reviews from the last three months.BrightLocal2026
- 47%won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.BrightLocal2026
- 89%expect owners to respond to reviews.BrightLocal2026
Staffing and workforce
Aides do most of the hands-on care. The hiring figures come from AHCA/NCAL's 2022 provider survey, its latest on the topic.
- 512,300people worked in assisted living as of June 2026.AHCA/NCAL2026
- $21.29an hour for resident assistants in Minnesota, the top state; $14.77 in Tennessee.AHCA/NCAL, HCS survey2025
- 455,900full-time equivalent nursing and social work staff.CDC NPALS tables2022
- 75.4%of nursing staff are aides; 11.9% are registered nurses.CDC NPALS tables2022
- 2.8 hoursof aide time per resident per day.CDC NPALS tables2022
- 87%of providers had trouble hiring; 63% had staff shortages.AHCA/NCAL survey2022
- 48%of providers feared closing if staffing problems lasted.AHCA/NCAL survey2022
What these numbers mean for assisted living communities
- Write for both readers. Adult children search after a health scare; parents lead with care needs and curiosity. Answer cost, care levels and daily life.
- Win the local shortlist. Families compare ratings on Google before they call. The free Rank.ai Google Business Profile grader checks a profile in a minute.
- Cover the whole service area. A map scan shows where you rank around your address; see ranking in nearby cities.
- Publish pricing. With a $6,200 median and 17% of residents on Medicaid, families screen on price first.
- Plan for AI answers. 45% of consumers ask AI tools for local picks. Our nursing home SEO guide covers the skilled nursing side.
FAQ
How many assisted living facilities are there in the US?
CDC counted about 32,200 residential care communities, including assisted living, with 1,313,600 beds in 2022. AHCA/NCAL counts about 41,465 using a broader definition.
What is the average cost of assisted living?
The national median was $6,200 a month ($74,400 a year) in CareScout's 2025 survey, up 5% from 2024. State medians ran from $4,369 in Mississippi to $12,096 in Hawaii.
What is the occupancy rate for assisted living?
NIC MAP put assisted living occupancy at 89.1% in Q3 2026, up from 75.5% in mid-2021. Overall senior housing occupancy was 90.4%.
What percentage of assisted living residents have dementia?
CDC found 44% of residents had Alzheimer's disease or another dementia in 2022. About 20% of communities specialize in dementia care or run a dementia unit.
Does Medicaid pay for assisted living?
Medicaid pays for care services in many states through home and community-based waivers, but never for room and board. About 17% of residents used Medicaid in 2022.
Sources and method
Federal data comes from CDC's 2022 National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study and the Census Bureau, occupancy from NIC MAP, costs from CareScout's 2025 survey, and preferences from Pew, AARP and the Alzheimer's Association. Lead and move-in figures are vendor data from Aline and Bild & Co reported by McKnight's Senior Living, and the Maryland result is an agency case study. All links were checked on 2026-10-16.
