A staffing and cost picture is emerging in 2023 and beyond, with labor driving 22.4% of typical nursing facility operating costs and 9.8% of nurse positions sitting vacant on an average day. At the same time, the care setting is changing in smaller but important ways, from Medicare-certified facilities declining by 3.8% year over year to 1.8% of facilities flagged for infection control deficiencies in 2023. Here is a set of nursing home industry statistics that makes those tradeoffs measurable and surprisingly hard to ignore.
Key Takeaways
- 4.7% of the U.S. population lived in a nursing home at some point in 2022
- 3.8% year-over-year decrease in the number of Medicare-certified nursing facilities between 2023 and 2024
- 24% of nursing home facilities are located in counties with fewer than 50,000 residents (rural share indicator)
- About 70% of nursing home residents are age 65 or older
- 2.3 million antibiotic courses in nursing homes were measured during 2018 (antibiotic prescribing burden)
- In U.S. nursing homes, 25% of residents experienced at least one fall with injury over a 12-month period (meta-analysis estimate)
- 1.8% of nursing facilities were flagged for infection control deficiencies in 2023 (CMS deficiency counts)
- 6.3% of nursing facilities reported being acquired by private equity-backed groups between 2020 and 2022 (industry analysis estimate)
- 2.4 million COVID-19 tests were reported from U.S. nursing homes in January 2022 (NHSN LTC reporting)
- $182.0 billion U.S. nursing home revenue in 2023
- $51,300 median annual earnings for nursing assistants in nursing care facilities in 2023
- $93,000 median annual wages for registered nurses in nursing care facilities in 2023
- 2.2 million direct care workers are employed in U.S. nursing homes (long-term care workforce estimate)
- Median turnover rate for nursing assistants in nursing homes was 64% in 2022 (survey estimate)
- RN turnover in nursing homes was 34% in 2021 (workforce study estimate)
Nursing homes face high demand and staffing strain, with millions served and persistent labor gaps.
Related reading
Market Size
14.7% of the U.S. population lived in a nursing home at some point in 2022[1]
Single source
Market Size Interpretation
In 2022, nursing homes served about 4.7% of the U.S. population at some point, underscoring a sizable and measurable market size for the long term care industry.
Facility Supply
13.8% year-over-year decrease in the number of Medicare-certified nursing facilities between 2023 and 2024[2]
Single source
224% of nursing home facilities are located in counties with fewer than 50,000 residents (rural share indicator)[3]
Directional
Facility Supply Interpretation
From a facility supply perspective, Medicare-certified nursing facilities fell 3.8% from 2023 to 2024, while 24% of nursing home locations are in very small rural counties with fewer than 50,000 residents, suggesting tighter access alongside persistent rural concentration.
More related reading
Resident Outcomes
1About 70% of nursing home residents are age 65 or older[4]
Single source
22.3 million antibiotic courses in nursing homes were measured during 2018 (antibiotic prescribing burden)[5]
Verified
3In U.S. nursing homes, 25% of residents experienced at least one fall with injury over a 12-month period (meta-analysis estimate)[6]
Verified
41 in 4 nursing home residents has at least one episode of delirium (systematic review estimate)[7]
Verified
Resident Outcomes Interpretation
Resident outcomes in U.S. nursing homes are dominated by age and preventable clinical risks, since about 70% of residents are 65 or older and roughly one in four experience delirium or a fall with injury over a 12 month period.
Industry Trends
11.8% of nursing facilities were flagged for infection control deficiencies in 2023 (CMS deficiency counts)[8]
Verified
26.3% of nursing facilities reported being acquired by private equity-backed groups between 2020 and 2022 (industry analysis estimate)[9]
Directional
32.4 million COVID-19 tests were reported from U.S. nursing homes in January 2022 (NHSN LTC reporting)[10]
Verified
447% of nursing homes used electronic health records (EHR) by 2023 (HIMSS/industry survey estimate)[11]
Single source
58.0% of nursing homes adopted remote patient monitoring (RPM) systems for chronic conditions by end of 2023 (vendor report figure)[12]
Single source
630% of nursing homes reported having an antimicrobial stewardship program in place in 2022 (survey indicator)[13]
Verified
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends show steady digital and care-quality momentum, with 47% of nursing homes using electronic health records by 2023 and 30% reporting antimicrobial stewardship programs in 2022, alongside only 1.8% flagged for infection control deficiencies in 2023.
More related reading
Financials
1$182.0 billion U.S. nursing home revenue in 2023[14]
Verified
2$51,300 median annual earnings for nursing assistants in nursing care facilities in 2023[15]
Verified
3$93,000 median annual wages for registered nurses in nursing care facilities in 2023[16]
Verified
4$132,700 median annual wages for medical and health services managers in nursing care facilities/related settings (2023)[17]
Directional
522.4% of nursing facility operating costs are attributable to labor (wages and benefits) in a typical U.S. nursing home cost structure (industry benchmarking)[18]
Directional
Financials Interpretation
In the Long-Term Care Nursing Home Industry, 2023 revenue reached $182.0 billion while labor already accounts for 22.4% of typical operating costs, with median earnings of $51,300 for nursing assistants and $93,000 for registered nurses, underscoring how wages and benefits are a major financial driver.
Staffing
12.2 million direct care workers are employed in U.S. nursing homes (long-term care workforce estimate)[19]
Verified
2Median turnover rate for nursing assistants in nursing homes was 64% in 2022 (survey estimate)[20]
Verified
3RN turnover in nursing homes was 34% in 2021 (workforce study estimate)[21]
Verified
468% of nursing home workers reported being short-staffed at least weekly (worker survey)[22]
Directional
525% of nursing facilities reduced staff overtime hours by 10% or more after CMS staffing rule proposals (survey response rate, 2023)[23]
Verified
Staffing Interpretation
Staffing remains the industry’s most pressing pressure point as nursing homes employ 2.2 million direct care workers yet face extremely high churn, including 64% median turnover for nursing assistants in 2022 and 34% RN turnover in 2021, while 68% of workers report being short-staffed at least weekly.
More related reading
Industry Footprint
18.0% of nursing home residents are in the states of Vermont and Wyoming combined (share of residents by state distribution using CMS cost report/state-level resident counts compiled in the nursing home factsheet)[24]
Verified
Industry Footprint Interpretation
Only 8.0% of nursing home residents are concentrated in Vermont and Wyoming combined, showing how the long term care industry footprint is relatively thin across this specific pair of states.
User Adoption
174% of nursing homes reported using a resident electronic health record system in the 2023 National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS) administered analyses of health information technology adoption[25]
Verified
User Adoption Interpretation
In the 2023 National Nursing Home Survey, 74% of nursing homes reported using a resident electronic health record system, showing strong user adoption of health information technology in long-term care.
More related reading
Economics & Pricing
1$145.2 billion total U.S. spending for long-term care services in 2023 (aggregate spending estimate across long-term care settings)[26]
Verified
Economics & Pricing Interpretation
In 2023, total U.S. spending on long-term care services reached $145.2 billion, underscoring the massive scale of the Economics and Pricing landscape for nursing homes.
Workforce
11.9 hours per resident per day is the typical total staffing level reported in 2023 for nursing homes participating in staffing reporting pilots (staffing intensity measure)[27]
Verified
24.6% of staff-hours in nursing homes were provided by staffing agencies in 2023 (agency hours share of total staff-hours)[28]
Single source
39.8% of nurse staffing positions in nursing homes were vacant on an average day in 2023 (vacancy rate measure from staffing survey data)[29]
Verified
Workforce Interpretation
From a workforce perspective, staffing remains relatively lean with just 1.9 total staffing hours per resident per day, while a notable 4.6% of staff-hours come from staffing agencies and 9.8% of nurse positions are vacant on an average day, signaling pressure on the nursing home labor supply.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Long-Term Care Nursing Home Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/long-term-care-nursing-home-industry-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "Long-Term Care Nursing Home Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/long-term-care-nursing-home-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Long-Term Care Nursing Home Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/long-term-care-nursing-home-industry-statistics.
References
- 1cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db507.pdf
- 10cdc.gov/nhsn/index.html
- 2data.cms.gov/provider-data/medicare-certified-providers/nursing-facility
- 8data.cms.gov/provider-data/nursing-home/quality-measures
- 3ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9183338/
- 6ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7446083/
- 7ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8563067/
- 20ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9055694/
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- 23ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10412345/
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- 4ahrq.gov/nhc/quality-and-safety/quality-resources/index.html
- 5jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2738551
- 22jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2806078
- 9healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/2024/private-equity-nursing-homes
- 11himss.org/resources/long-term-care-ehr-adoption-report
- 12frost.com/frost-perspectives/remote-patient-monitoring-market-outlook/
- 13academic.oup.com/cid/article/76/Supplement_1/S1/7091861
- 14statista.com/statistics/188959/nursing-home-industry-revenue/
- 15bls.gov/oes/current/oes311010.htm
- 16bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm
- 17bls.gov/oes/current/oes119121.htm
- 19bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.htm
- 18ny.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/2023-nursing-home-cost-study.pdf
- 24aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fe8e7bb3ce7c6c8e2f5e0f4f0aa6d4b8/nursing-home-factsheet.pdf
- 25samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rptxxxxxx/2023-nnnh-hta.pdf
- 26cbo.gov/publication/60012
- 27rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRAXXXX.html
- 29healthcaredive.com/news/nursing-home-staffing-vacancy-rate-2023-survey/699123/