Last year was an especially rough time for nursing homes because over 40% of all reported Coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths in the entire U.S. happened in a nursing home. That’s a huge number when you consider that only about 1.5 million people live in nursing homes in America. And according to the Associated Press, for every two COVID-19 victims in long-term care, there is another who died prematurely of other causes.In this post, you will discover how many people live in nursing homes, how covid-19 deaths are affecting nursing homes, the number of nursing homes in America, and over 101 additional nursing home stats.
Top Nursing Home Statistics:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
U.S. Nursing Home Population Statistics & Facts
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Nursing Home Death Statistics
Average Age Of Nursing Home Residents
Average Length Of Stay In Long Term Care Facilities In America
U.S. Nursing Home Industry Statistics
U.S. Nursing Home Population Statistics & Facts
What Percent Of Elderly People Live In Nursing Homes?
Only 0.46% (roughly 1.5 million) people live in nursing homes in America, while about 1 million elderly (0.26%) live in assisted living facilities. Women account for a whopping 70% of all nursing home residents, while men only make up only 30%.
Key Statistics:
How Many People Die In Nursing Homes Each Year?
It was estimated that by 2020 40% of U.S. residents would die in a nursing home; however, due to covid-19, that rate has drastically changed. The Associated Press estimates that for every two COVID-19 victims in long-term care, there is another who died prematurely of other causes.
Key Statistics:
What Are The Leading Causes Of Nursing Home Deaths?
Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of death in a nursing home; this stat could change if things stay the same or worsen with covid-19 deaths inside nursing homes.
In a study conducted for 6 months by Science Direct, 39 of their patients passed away in a nursing facility. The primary causes of death were:
Cause Of Death | Percentage |
|---|---|
Alzheimer's/Dementia | 36% (14 People) |
Cardiac/Cerebrovascular | 30% (9 People) |
Pulmonary | 23% (3 People) |
Hematologic And Other Malignancies | 7% (2 People) |
Top 10 Nursing Home Populations By State, Race, & Ethnicity
State | American Indian Or Alaska Native | Asian | Black, not Hispanic origin | Hispanic or Latino | Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | White, not hispanic orgin | More Than One Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
California | 0.3% | 10.2% | 11% | 18% | 0.4% | 58.8% | 1.2% |
Florida | 0.1% | 0.5% | 15.9% | 10.7% | 0.1% | 72.3% | 0.3% |
Illinois | 0.1% | 1.6% | 17.7% | 3.8% | 0.1% | 76.4% | 0.3% |
Massachusetts | 0.1% | 1.3% | 5.3% | 2.8% | 0.1% | 90.3% | 0.2% |
Michagan | 0.2% | 0.3% | 16.8% | 0.9% | 0% | 81.6% | 0.1% |
New Jersey | 0.1% | 2.6% | 17.3% | 7.4% | 0.1% | 72% | 0.4% |
New York | 0.3% | 2.4% | 18.5% | 8.6% | 0.1% | 69.3% | 0.8% |
Ohio | 0% | 0.2% | 14% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 84.9% | 0.1% |
Pennsylvania | 0% | 0.4% | 10.5% | 1.4% | 0.1% | 87.5% | 0.1% |
Texas | 0.1% | 0.8% | 13.6% | 17.3% | 0.1% | 67.9% | 0.2% |
Number Of Americans Living In Nursing Homes (By State)
State | Number Of Residents |
|---|---|
Alabama | 22684 |
Alaska | 499 |
Arizona | 10325 |
Arkansas | 17285 |
California | 106523 |
Colorado | 16004 |
Connecticut | 1,624 |
Delaware | 3937 |
District of Columbia | 1256 |
Florida | 76985 |
Georgia | 22894 |
Hawaii | 3444 |
Idaho | 3286 |
Illinois | 74576 |
Indiana | 37564 |
Iowa | 22349 |
Kansas | 16812 |
Kentucky | 21482 |
Louisiana | 25863 |
Maine | 5846 |
Maryland | 16464 |
Massachusetts | 42464 |
Michigan | 41372 |
Minnesota | 23444 |
Mississippi | 15923 |
Missouri | 37277 |
Montana | 3776 |
Nebraska | 10584 |
Nevada | 5626 |
New Hampshire | 6397 |
New Jersey | 46366 |
New Mexico | 5510 |
New York | 108291 |
North Carolina | 36148 |
North Dakota | 5321 |
Ohio | 77859 |
Oklahoma | 17213 |
Oregon | 4672 |
Pennsylvania | 80331 |
Rhode Island | 7558 |
South Carolina | 15563 |
South Dakota | 5585 |
Tennessee | 26647 |
Texas | 90708 |
Utah | 5574 |
Vermont | 2359 |
Virginia | 19550 |
Washington | 15094 |
West Virginia | 9278 |
Wisconsin | 21236 |
Wyoming | 2224 |
CMS | Morning Star | Associated Press | Braswell Murphy | AARP | Wikipedia | US News | A Place For Mom | Care.com | Caregiver.org | CDC | Elder Needs Law | Health In Aging | Institute On Aging | NCBI | NIA | Nursing Home Abuse Center | KFF |
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Nursing Home Death Statistics
What Percent Of COVID 19 Deaths Come From Nursing Homes?
40% of all covid-19 deaths in America have occurred in nursing homes; this total includes residents and staff members. In all, 112,373 nursing home residents have died from covid-19, and there have been over 1,380 staff deaths related to covid-19.
Key Statistics:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Nursing Home Deaths By State
40% of all covid-19 deaths in America have occurred in nursing homes; this total includes residents and staff members. In all, 112,373 nursing home residents have died from covid-19, and there have been over 1,380 staff deaths related to covid-19.
State | Number Of Nursing Home Deaths |
|---|---|
Alabama | 13009 |
Alaska | 123 |
Arizona | 909 |
Arkansas | 1907 |
California | 7037 |
Colorado | 1537 |
Connecticut | 2579 |
Delaware | 341 |
District of Columbia | 116 |
Florida | 4063 |
Georgia | 2649 |
Hawaii | 59 |
Idaho | 213 |
Illinois | 6415 |
Indiana | 4795 |
Iowa | 2223 |
Kansas | 1535 |
Kentucky | 2243 |
Louisiana | 2641 |
Maine | 200 |
Maryland | 1906 |
Massachusetts | 4316 |
Michigan | 3124 |
Minnesota | 2153 |
Mississippi | 1576 |
Missouri | 3249 |
Montana | 288 |
Nebraska | 782 |
Nevada | 327 |
New Hampshire | 454 |
New Jersey | 4803 |
New Mexico | 533 |
New York | 6829 |
North Carolina | 2952 |
North Dakota | 590 |
Ohio | 6452 |
Oklahoma | 1564 |
Oregon | 379 |
Pennsylvania | 8138 |
Rhode Island | 922 |
South Carolina | 1426 |
South Dakota | 696 |
Tennessee | 2275 |
Texas | 7243 |
Utah | 290 |
Vermont | 78 |
Virginia | 2232 |
Washington | 1030 |
West Virginia | 626 |
Wisconsin | 1607 |
Wyoming | 186 |
AP News | COVID Tracking | CMS | Health Affairs | Georgia DCH | Pub Med | NBC News |
Average Age Of Nursing Home Residents
What Is The Average Age of Nursing Home Residents?
A nursing home resident's average age is 81.1 years old, and almost half of all nursing home residents are age 85 years or older. Single and widowed women account for over 72% of the residents, and the average age for people using long-term care services is around 65 years old.
Key Statistics:
AARP | US News | A Place For Mom | CDC | Health In Aging | LTCCS | Morning Star | NPR | Nursing Home Abuse Center |
Average Length Of Stay In Long Term Care Facilities
What's The Average Stay In An American Nursing Home?
835 days is the average stay in a nursing home; however, for residents who have been discharged, their average stay in a nursing home is 270 days. At least 10% of the older adults who enter a nursing home will stay there for 5 or more years.
Key Statistics:
What Is The Average Stay In A Nursing Home Before Death?
5 Months is the average nursing home stay before death, while about 53% of residents die within 6 months of admission. About 65% of residents died within 1 year of being admitted to a nursing home. The average stay for women is much more extended than for men at around 8 months.
Key Statistics:
What Is The Average Length Of Stay In An Assisted Living Facility
The average length of stay in an assisted living facility is around 2 ½ years to 3 years, mainly because the resident might have to move to a nursing home for more care or due to passing away. The most common reason people leave an assisted living facility is that they need more care.
Key Statistics:
AARP | US News | A Place For Mom | CDC | Health In Aging | LTCCS | Morning Star | NPR | Nursing Home Abuse Center |
U.S. Nursing Home Industry Statistics
How Many Nursing Homes Are In The U.S.?
There are 15,600 nursing homes in the U.S. However, on average, people are only able to visit their family members in nursing homes about 6 times per month.
Key Statistics:
Best & Worst States For Nursing Homes
Below are the results of a quality rating system created by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Using a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest satisfaction and 1 being the lowest satisfaction, it turns out that Hawaii nursing home residents are most satisfied with the care and Texas residents are least happy with their nursing home care.
Top 10 Best Nursing Home States
STATE | RATING |
|---|---|
Hawaii | 3.93 |
Washington D.C. | 3.89 |
Florida | 3.75 |
New Jersey | 3.75 |
Colorado | 3.74 |
Delaware | 3.73 |
Connecticut | 3.73 |
Minnesota | 3.72 |
North Dakota | 3.71 |
Idaho | 3.71 |
Top 10 Worst Nursing Home States
STATE | RATING |
|---|---|
Texas | 2.68 |
Oklahoma | 2.67 |
Louisiana | 2.8 |
Kentucky | 2.98 |
Georgia | 3.01 |
New Mexico | 3.07 |
North Carolina | 3.07 |
Missouri | 3.12 |
West Virginia | 3.15 |
Illinois | 3.18 |
What Are The Number Of Nursing Home Beds In America?
According to the CDC, there are over 1.7 million licensed nursing home beds, which has about 1.5 million residents in them. About 79% of beds are occupied every day, and a patient will receive approximately 4 hours of nursing care per day. However, on average, family members only spend 1 hour and 27 minutes visiting their family members in nursing homes.
Key Statistics:
Number Of Certified Nursing Homes By State
State | Number Of Certified Nursing Facilities |
|---|---|
Alabama | 228 |
Alaska | 17 |
Arizona | 139 |
Arkansas | 227 |
California | 1187 |
Colorado | 223 |
Connecticut | 204 |
Delaware | 45 |
District of Columbia | 14 |
Florida | 688 |
Georgia | 280 |
Hawaii | 44 |
Idaho | 72 |
Illinois | 722 |
Indiana | 531 |
Iowa | 432 |
Kansas | 330 |
Kentucky | 273 |
Louisiana | 277 |
Maine | 93 |
Maryland | 202 |
Massachusetts | 356 |
Michagan | 442 |
Minnesota | 363 |
Mississippi | 203 |
Missouri | 520 |
Montana | 69 |
Nebraska | 197 |
Nevada | 66 |
New Hampshire | 74 |
New Jersey | 361 |
New Mexico | 71 |
New York | 570 |
North Carolina | 424 |
North Dakota | 80 |
Ohio | 952 |
Oklahoma | 290 |
Oregon | 116 |
Pennsylvania | 684 |
Rhode Island | 80 |
South Carolina | 184 |
South Dakota | 104 |
Tennessee | 316 |
Texas | 1214 |
Utah | 99 |
Vermont | 35 |
Virginia | 245 |
Washington | 205 |
West Virginia | 123 |
Wisconsin | 353 |
Wyoming | 37 |
Sources:
Care.com | US News | My Life Site | KFF | NOA Medical | CDC | Ibis World | UMASS Med |
Taking Action
Concluding Thoughts
The most shocking statistic that we found was that COVID-19 nursing home deaths are responsible for over 40% of all coronavirus deaths in America.
While COVID-19 is reeking havoc on our nursing home community we must all work together to stay safe by wearing masks and practicing our social distancing.
The average life expectancy has definitely changed for nursing home residents due to COVID-19 and more people are probably going to need some type of long-term care coverage.
No matter what, we all need to stick together and get these numbers lowered.
Sources:
AP News | AARP | UMASS Med | CMS | GEORGIA DCH | Wikipedia | US News | Pub Med | A Place For Mom | Braswell Murphy | Care.com | Caregiver.org | CDC | CMS | Elder Needs Law | Health Affairs | Health In Aging | Ibis World | Institute On Aging | KFF | LTCCS | Morning Star | My Life Site | NBC News | NCBI | NIA | NOA Medical | NPR | Nursing Home Abuse Center | Research Gate |