The states with the highest (& lowest) senior care costs
Planning for senior care is one of the most consequential financial decisions a family can make, and where you live may matter more than any other single variable. According to CareScout’s survey, conducted from July through November 2025 across all 50 states, the national medians are $80,080 for in-home care, $24,700 for adult day care, $74,400 for assisted living, $114,975 for a semi-private nursing home room, and $129,575 for a private room.
The state-by-state spread is enormous.
The figures below focus on the states that define the extremes, the ones that every family doing serious planning needs to know.
Image Credit: EyeEm Mobile GmbH / iStock.
The most expensive and least expensive states for nursing home care: Alaska
Alaska is in a category of its own. A semi-private nursing home room costs a median of $333,975 per year, nearly three times the national median. Geographic isolation, healthcare worker shortages, and unique supply chain costs push institutional care beyond reach for most families without long-term care insurance.
Image Credit: miroslav_1/Istockphoto.
Oregon
Oregon leads the contiguous United States. A private nursing home room runs a median of $221,373 per year, 71 percent above the national median of $129,575. A semi-private room reaches $201,115, the highest among the lower 48 states for that category as well.
Image Credit: Nantiya Rattanatum/istockphoto.
Texas
Texas and Missouri are tied for the lowest private nursing home costs in the country at $91,250 per year, roughly 30 percent below the national median. Texas also produces the sharpest contrast in the dataset: its semi-private room runs $67,525 per year, a figure that falls below the national median for assisted living.
Image Credit: Sean Pavone/istockphoto.
Missouri
Missouri ties Texas on private room costs at $91,250 and goes further on semi-private rooms, where its $80,893 annual median is the lowest in the contiguous United States. Stable operating costs and lower healthcare labor rates keep Missouri consistently well below the national average across both room types.
Image Credit: SMJoness/istock.
The most expensive and least expensive states for assisted living: Hawaii
Hawaii tops the assisted living rankings at $145,155 per year, nearly double the national median of $74,400. High land values, island supply chain costs, and a tight healthcare labor market push assisted living beyond reach for most middle-income families without substantial assets or insurance.
Image Credit: SeanPavonePhoto/istockphoto.
Mississippi
Mississippi is the most consistently affordable state in the country. Assisted living runs $52,425 per year, in-home care $54,912, and adult day care $16,380, all the lowest or near-lowest nationally.
Image Credit: Ingo Dörenberg/iStockphoto.
Wyoming
Wyoming presents the starkest internal contradiction in the data. It has the highest in-home care costs in the country at $105,248 per year, yet its assisted living sits at just $63,900, well below the national median. For Wyoming families, facility-based care is the more financially accessible path.
Image Credit: Janice Chen/iStock
The most expensive and least expensive states for adult day health care: Montana
Montana has the most expensive adult day health care in the country at $69,395 per year, nearly three times the national median of $24,700. Thin provider networks and vast distances make consistent day care programming extremely costly.
Image Credit: James Deitsch.
Alabama
Alabama is the most affordable state for adult day health care at $14,950 per year, about 40 percent below the national median. It also ranks among the least expensive for assisted living and in-home care.
Image Credit: littleny/iStock
The retirement state that surprises: Florida
Florida is the nation’s most popular retirement destination, but its cost profile cuts in two directions. In-home care and assisted living both run below the national median. Private nursing home rooms, however, cost $146,000 per year, 12.7 percent above the national median. Florida is accessible for community and home-based care, and it becomes notably more expensive as care needs intensify.
Image Credit:Pichsakul Promrungsee/iStock
Wrap up
The gap between the least and most expensive states for private nursing home care is $130,123 per year. Over a two-year stay, that difference approaches the median price of a single-family home. For families with any flexibility in where they plan for care, state location is not a footnote. It is one of the most important numbers in the plan.
Ask us! What questions do you have about content, strategy, pop culture, lifestyle, wellness, history or more? We may use your question in an upcoming article!
Related:
Like MediaFeed’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
AlertMe
