About NursingHomes.us

NursingHomes.us helps families find and compare nursing homes across the United States using official government data from multiple federal sources. We believe everyone deserves easy access to quality information when making one of life's most important decisions — choosing care for a loved one.

Our goal is to present complex government data in a clear, accessible format. We cross-reference multiple data sources to give you a complete picture of each facility, from inspection results and staffing levels to local demographics and costs.

Data Sources

We combine data from three independent, authoritative sources:

1. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Our primary data source. CMS, part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, inspects and rates every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country. We process the following CMS datasets:

  • Provider Information — 14,710 facilities with 5-star ratings (overall, health inspection, staffing, quality measures), bed counts, ownership type, chain affiliation
  • Health Deficiencies — 419,000+ individual inspection citations with severity, scope, and correction status
  • Penalties — 17,400+ fines and payment denials with amounts and dates
  • Ownership — 159,000+ ownership records showing who controls each facility
  • Quality Measures — MDS-based quality measures (falls, infections, restraints, rehospitalizations, etc.)
  • Staffing — Nurse aide, LPN, RN hours per resident per day (reported and case-mix adjusted), turnover rates
  • State Averages — Benchmark averages for all metrics by state

Source: CMS Provider Data — Nursing Homes | Last updated: February 2026 | Update frequency: Monthly

2. U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS)

We use Census Bureau data to provide demographic context for each state and county:

  • Population aged 65+ by county and state — to calculate nursing home bed availability per 1,000 elderly residents
  • Total population — for percentage calculations
  • Median household income by state — to contextualize nursing home affordability

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates | Dataset year: 2022 (latest 5-year release covering all counties) | Update frequency: Annual

3. Genworth / CareScout Cost of Care Survey

Nursing home cost data by state comes from the Genworth/CareScout Cost of Care Survey, the industry's most comprehensive annual study of long-term care costs:

  • Semi-private room median monthly cost by state
  • Private room median monthly cost by state
  • National medians for comparison

Source: CareScout Cost of Care | Survey year: 2024 | Update frequency: Annual

4. Google Maps

We cross-reference facilities with Google Maps to provide:

  • Google ratings and review counts — an independent quality signal from real visitors
  • Facility websites — direct links when available
  • Location verification — coordinates and place data

Coverage: 13,872 of 14,710 facilities matched (94.3%)

Methodology

We download the raw CMS datasets monthly, parse and normalize the data, and cross-reference each facility with our other data sources. All ratings, deficiency citations, penalty amounts, and staffing numbers are presented exactly as reported by CMS — we do not modify, weight, or editorialize the official ratings.

Rankings on this site (best, worst, most fined, best staffing) are based solely on the CMS 5-star rating system and official penalty data. We do not accept payment from facilities for placement or ranking position.

Limitations

  • CMS data lag: Inspection results may take weeks to appear in the official dataset after the inspection occurs. Our data reflects the latest CMS release, not real-time conditions.
  • Cost data is state-level: Actual costs at individual facilities may vary significantly from state medians based on location, services, and room availability.
  • Census data is 5-year estimates: County populations are based on ACS 5-year estimates (2018-2022), not exact current counts.
  • Google Maps coverage: ~6% of facilities could not be matched to a Google Maps listing.
  • Not medical advice: This site is for informational purposes only. Always visit facilities in person and consult healthcare professionals before making care decisions.

How CMS Ratings Work

The CMS 5-star rating system combines three components:

  • Health Inspections (weighted most heavily) — based on the three most recent annual inspections and any complaint investigations
  • Staffing — nurse hours per resident per day, including RN staffing and total nursing staff
  • Quality Measures — clinical outcomes like falls, infections, restraint use, and rehospitalization rates

A 5-star rating means the facility is "much above average," while 1 star means "much below average." We display these ratings as-is from CMS data, without modification.

Independence & Transparency

NursingHomes.us is not affiliated with CMS, Medicare, Medicaid, or any U.S. government agency. We are an independent informational resource. We do not accept payment from nursing homes for placement, reviews, or rankings. Our revenue comes from advertising displayed on the site.

Contact

Have questions, corrections, or feedback? We'd love to hear from you:

If you believe any data on this site is incorrect, please contact us with the facility name and the specific issue. We will verify against the original CMS dataset and correct any errors.