Nursing Home Closure Rates Averaged 0.9% Before COVID & 1.1% During Public Health Emergency

The number of nursing homes that closed during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) was lower than anticipated, according to a recent study. The annualized closure rates were similar before and during the PHE. From 2016 to 2019, the closure rate averaged 0.9% per year. Between 2020 and 2025, the closure rate averaged 1.1% per year.

At the start of the PHE, nursing home industry groups warned that hundreds of facilities were likely to close due to financial losses resulting from declining occupancy and workforce shortages. Between 2016 and 2025, 1,440 nursing homes closed. During this . . .