Nursing Home Cost by State
Compare nursing home costs across all 50 states and Washington D.C. Click a column header to sort.
National Avg (Private Room)
$9,733/mo
National Avg (Semi-Private)
$8,669/mo
How to Read This Table
The national median for a private room is $9,733/month ($116,796/year). Rows highlighted red are 30%+ above the national average; rows highlighted green are 20%+ below. The "vs Avg" column shows whether your state is above or below the national benchmark.
| State | Private Room/mo | Semi-Private/mo | vs Avg |
|---|
Cost of Care Calculator
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Senior Care Cost Comparison
Nursing home vs assisted living vs in-home
Medicare & Medicaid Coverage
What insurance actually pays
Long-Term Care Cost Projections
5, 10 & 15 year estimates
Why Nursing Home Costs Vary So Much by State
Nursing home costs range from $4,800/month in Oklahoma to $35,000/month in Alaska — a 7x difference driven by wage laws, real estate costs, and state Medicaid reimbursement rates. States with higher Medicaid rates attract more facilities, creating more supply and lower private-pay costs. Your state's Medicaid reimbursement directly shapes what private-pay families are charged.
The national average for a private nursing home room is $9,733/month, but that number isn't very useful on its own. The real range runs from $6,205/month in Oklahoma to $14,600/month in Connecticut. Geography is the single biggest driver of cost, more than the quality of care in most cases.
Labor costs explain most of the state-by-state gap. States with higher minimum wages and stronger nursing union contracts pay more, and those costs pass through to families. States with lower labor costs tend to have lower facility rates. The Northeast and Pacific Coast are almost universally expensive. The South Central and Midwest tend to be cheapest.
Real estate matters too. A nursing home in Manhattan is paying vastly more for its building than one in rural Oklahoma, and beds are priced accordingly. Regulatory environment also plays a role: some states require more staff-to-resident ratios, which increases quality but also cost.
Private vs. semi-private is a meaningful choice. Nationally, the difference is about $1,064/month. Over a 2.5-year average stay, that's around $31,900. Whether the privacy is worth it depends on the person. Many residents actually prefer semi-private rooms for the social contact.
When Nursing Home Care Makes Sense
Nursing homes provide round-the-clock skilled nursing care, which assisted living facilities typically cannot. If someone needs wound care, IV medications, ventilator support, or daily skilled nursing assessments, a nursing home is usually the only appropriate option. They're also required to accept Medicare and Medicaid, which no other care type must do.
The decision is rarely simple. Most families try home care first, then assisted living, then a nursing home as needs escalate. That progression makes sense financially too: starting with the least expensive appropriate option preserves assets longer.
Data Sources
Nursing home cost data: Genworth/CareScout Cost of Care Survey (annual survey of thousands of facilities across all 50 states and D.C.). State medians are used rather than averages to reduce the influence of outlier facilities.
Coverage and benefit data: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Benefit Policy Manual. Medicaid nursing facility coverage rules sourced from state Medicaid agency guidance.
Updated April 2026. Based on Genworth/CareScout Cost of Care Survey data.
Nursing Home Cost by State
Private room rates range from $7,118/mo (Oklahoma) to $14,600/mo (Connecticut). Select your state for local data.
Also see: assisted living costs by state — typically half the cost of a nursing home.