Federal Data Indicate The Average U.S. Nursing Home Is 25% Short-Staffed

Nine in 10 nursing homes fall below their expected staffing levels, with the average facility understaffed by 25% daily, according to a recent analysis. Because of this understaffing, the average U.S. nursing home provided over one hour less nursing staff time per resident per day than the expected time necessary to meet resident needs, at 3.78 total nurse staff hours per resident day provided versus the 4.95 hours needed.

For the analysis, the Long-Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC) used data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the second quarter of 2025. The staffing . . .