Nearly half of all nursing home staff left their jobs in a recent two-year period. This labor strain exists within an industry caring for millions of residents, many in facilities that do not meet staffing targets. The following statistics quantify these interconnected pressures.
Key Takeaways
- 4.4 million Americans lived in nursing homes in 2020 (nursing home residents estimate).
- 15,600 nursing homes were certified in the U.S. in 2023 (number of Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing facilities).
- 1.1 million people worked in nursing and residential care facilities in 2023 (employment in relevant industry).
- 44% of nursing home staff left their jobs between 2021 and 2022 (annualized turnover measure reported by AAN).
- 1.7% vacancy rate for personal care aides in 2023 (labor vacancy measure).
- 18.7% of direct-care workers reported they were planning to leave within 6 months (retention intention).
- $28.1 billion U.S. spending on long-term care services and supports (public + private) in 2021 (LTSS expenditure scale).
- $110,074 median annual income for nursing assistants in 2023 (wage cost baseline).
- 1.8x higher total cost for residents receiving delayed nursing care versus timely care (study-based cost impact).
- 27% of nursing homes received at least one COVID-19 deficiency citation in 2022 (deficiency incidence).
- 65.2% of nursing homes met or exceeded CMS quality star ratings in 2023 (ratings attainment measure).
- 14.4% of SNF patients were readmitted within 30 days in 2022 (readmission rate).
- 2.3x increase in ransomware incidents affecting healthcare organizations in 2021 versus 2020 (cyber incident growth).
- 41% of providers experienced at least one data breach in 2023 (breach incidence).
- 60% of LTC decision-makers prioritized interoperability as a top data need in 2024 (priority ranking).
With staffing shortages and soaring costs, long term care providers struggle to retain workers while quality pressures rise.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
4.4 million Americans lived in nursing homes in 2020 (nursing home residents estimate).
02
15,600 nursing homes were certified in the U.S. in 2023 (number of Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing facilities).
03
1.1 million people worked in nursing and residential care facilities in 2023 (employment in relevant industry).
04
6,120 skilled nursing facilities were active in 2022 (provider count for SNF category).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The senior care market is clearly large and employment-intensive, with 4.4 million Americans living in nursing homes in 2020 and about 1.1 million people working in nursing and residential care facilities in 2023 across roughly 15,600 certified nursing homes.
02 · Category
Workforce8 stats
01
44% of nursing home staff left their jobs between 2021 and 2022 (annualized turnover measure reported by AAN).
02
1.7% vacancy rate for personal care aides in 2023 (labor vacancy measure).
03
18.7% of direct-care workers reported they were planning to leave within 6 months (retention intention).
04
4.3 million home care workers were employed in the U.S. in 2021 (home care workforce size).
05
31% of U.S. nursing homes were below target staffing levels in 2022 (staffing adequacy measure).
06
71% of LTC providers cited recruiting caregivers as their #1 operational challenge in 2023 (survey challenge ranking).
07
10.2% wage growth for nursing assistants from 2020 to 2023 (pay trend rate).
08
1.2 million RNs were employed in healthcare in 2023 (relevant clinical workforce context).
Interpretation
Workforce Interpretation
Workforce pressures are intensifying in senior care, with nursing home staff turnover reaching 44% between 2021 and 2022 alongside a 71% share of long term care providers naming caregiver recruiting as their top operational challenge in 2023.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis6 stats
01
$28.1 billion U.S. spending on long-term care services and supports (public + private) in 2021 (LTSS expenditure scale).
02
$110,074median annual income for nursing assistants in 2023 (wage cost baseline).
03
1.8x higher total cost for residents receiving delayed nursing care versus timely care (study-based cost impact).
04
7.0% of nursing home revenue spent on travel (non-labor cost category share).
05
22% of nursing homes reported overtime as a significant cost pressure in 2022 (operational cost pressure share).
06
$3.2 million median annual cost of infection prevention failures in a facility (incident cost estimate).
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis for senior care shows that inefficiencies and operational strain can be extremely expensive, with delayed nursing care costing 1.8 times more than timely care and infection prevention failures hitting an estimated $3.2 million per facility, alongside broad cost pressure signals like 22% of nursing homes citing overtime in 2022.
04 · Category
Regulatory & Quality4 stats
01
27% of nursing homes received at least one COVID-19 deficiency citation in 2022 (deficiency incidence).
02
65.2% of nursing homes met or exceeded CMS quality star ratings in 2023 (ratings attainment measure).
03
14.4% of SNF patients were readmitted within 30 days in 2022 (readmission rate).
04
1.2% of nursing home residents died within 30 days after a hospital transfer in 2021 (post-transfer mortality).
Interpretation
Regulatory & Quality Interpretation
Under the Regulatory & Quality lens, the picture is mixed in that only 27% of nursing homes had at least one COVID-19 deficiency citation in 2022 while 65.2% met or exceeded CMS quality star ratings in 2023, yet outcomes still lag with 14.4% of SNF patients readmitted within 30 days in 2022 and 1.2% of nursing home residents dying within 30 days after a hospital transfer in 2021.
05 · Category
Technology & Data5 stats
01
2.3x increase in ransomware incidents affecting healthcare organizations in 2021 versus 2020 (cyber incident growth).
02
41% of providers experienced at least one data breach in 2023 (breach incidence).
03
60% of LTC decision-makers prioritized interoperability as a top data need in 2024 (priority ranking).
04
4.1 hours average time saved per staff shift using mobility tracking and digital care plans (workflow time saving).
05
74% of U.S. organizations report using APIs to exchange healthcare data in 2024 (API utilization).
Interpretation
Technology & Data Interpretation
Technology and data are becoming urgent priorities in senior care as healthcare ransomware incidents rose 2.3x in 2021 versus 2020 and 41% of providers saw at least one data breach in 2023, even while 74% of U.S. organizations already use APIs to exchange data in 2024.
06 · Category
Workforce & Wages3 stats
01
In 2023, the median hourly wage for nursing assistants was $16.41(BLS, OES), reflecting the wage level for a core direct-care role
02
In 2023, the median hourly wage for home health and personal care aides was $15.27(BLS, OES), capturing compensation for widely used home-care staffing categories
03
In 2023, registered nurses’ median hourly wage was $41.09(BLS, OES), providing a benchmark for the broader clinical workforce that supports senior care settings
Interpretation
Workforce & Wages Interpretation
In 2023, wages in senior care stayed distinctly tiered, with nursing assistants earning a median $16.41 per hour and home health and personal care aides at $15.27, while registered nurses reached $41.09, underscoring how workforce roles drive pay gaps within the Workforce and Wages landscape.
More related reading
07 · Category
Care Settings1 stats
01
30% of people turning age 65 will enter a nursing home at some point in their lifetime (JAMA Network Open, 2017), a widely cited planning statistic for nursing home utilization
Interpretation
Care Settings Interpretation
Under Care Settings, about 30% of people who reach age 65 will eventually enter a nursing home, highlighting how often this specific form of care becomes part of later-life planning.
08 · Category
Demographics & Demand1 stats
01
Approximately 6.7 million Americans age 65+ had Alzheimer’s disease in 2024 (Alzheimer’s Association report), indicating a major driver of memory-care and caregiver needs
Interpretation
Demographics & Demand Interpretation
With about 6.7 million Americans aged 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s in 2024, the senior care demand is clearly being propelled by rapidly growing health needs within the older demographic.
09 · Category
Regulation & Quality2 stats
01
The proportion of nursing homes with staffing hours below CMS thresholds was 31% in 2022 (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s discussion of staffing adequacy), indicating persistent staffing-related quality risk
02
In 2023, 71% of surveyed long-term care providers reported that improving quality of care was an ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ important operational goal (industry survey reported by leading trade research), indicating priority placed on quality improvement
Interpretation
Regulation & Quality Interpretation
Under the Regulation & Quality lens, the nursing home staffing shortfall is substantial with 31% of facilities in 2022 below CMS staffing thresholds and it aligns with a sector-wide emphasis on quality where 71% of long-term care providers in 2023 rate improving care as extremely or very important.
10 · Category
Financing & Economics1 stats
01
Nursing home margins fell to 5.2% in 2022 (S&P Global Market Intelligence/HFMA-style industry financial survey reported by major trade research), indicating squeeze on profitability
Interpretation
Financing & Economics Interpretation
In 2022, nursing home margins dropped to 5.2%, signaling mounting financing and economics pressure that could squeeze liquidity and investment capacity across the senior care sector.
11 · Category
Technology & Cybersecurity3 stats
01
In 2023, 74% of healthcare organizations reported being affected by phishing attacks (Verizon DBIR healthcare analysis), a leading initial-access vector
02
In 2024, 61% of healthcare organizations planned to increase spending on cybersecurity over the next 12 months (Frost & Sullivan cybersecurity outlook reported by a reputable trade analyst publication)
03
In 2023, the U.S. digital health market reached $55.0 billion (industry analyst report), reflecting technology investment relevant to senior care operations
Interpretation
Technology & Cybersecurity Interpretation
With 74% of healthcare organizations reporting phishing attacks in 2023 and 61% planning to boost cybersecurity spending in 2024, the technology and cybersecurity landscape for senior care is clearly being driven by urgent threat realities alongside continued investment, while the U.S. digital health market hitting $55.0 billion in 2023 shows the wider tech momentum behind that shift.
report visual · Key figures
Senior care demand and workforce pressure over time
Key indicators span facility availability, staffing capacity, and workforce churn/vacancy—highlighting ongoing pressure across nursing and residential care and related roles.
4.4
4.4 million Americans lived in nursing homes in 2020 (nursing home residents estimate).
44%
44% of nursing home staff left their jobs between 2021 and 2022 (annualized turnover measure reported by AAN).
1.7%
1.7% vacancy rate for personal care aides in 2023 (labor vacancy measure).
31%
31% of U.S. nursing homes were below target staffing levels in 2022 (staffing adequacy measure).
10.2%
10.2% wage growth for nursing assistants from 2020 to 2023 (pay trend rate).
source-verifiedcdc.gov · aanac.org · bls.gov · qualitynet.org2023
Reference
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
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Senior Care Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/senior-care-industry-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Senior Care Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/senior-care-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Senior Care Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/senior-care-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)