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The average age of residents in assisted living facilities in 2009 was 86.9 years; 74% of these residents were women and 26% were men. The typical assisted living resident is an 86-year-old woman who is mobile, but needs assistance with approximately two activities of daily living (such as bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring and eating).

Where residents of assisted living facilities come from: A private home or apartment, 70%; a retirement or independent living community, 9%; a nursing facility, 9%; a family residence (such as living with adult children), 7%; another assisted living residence or group home, 5%.

According to a survey by the Coalition to Protect Choice in Senior Living, 84% of Americans over the age of 50 expect an immediate family member to move into a senior living community within the next 10 years. Twenty-four percent expect the same thing for themselves.

The average length of stay in an assisted living facility is approximately 28 months. Fifty-nine percent of residents will subsequently move into a nursing facility, while 33% will pass away. The remaining 8% will move home or to another location.

Based on a survey by SeniorLiving.com, the five most important factors when choosing an assisted living community: 1. (tie) The quality of personal care in the community and the personal safety for the residents of the community; 3. The cleanliness of the community; 4. The quality of the staff of the community; 5. The quality of the management of the community.

On average, assisted living residents need help with 1.6 activities of daily living (ADLs). Percentage of residents who require assistance with the following activities: Bathing, 64%; dressing, 39%; toileting, 26%; transferring, 19%; eating, 12%. In addition, 87% of assisted living residents need help with meal preparation, while 81% require help in managing their medications.

Primary source of payment for nursing home care as of June 2011: Medicaid, 63.5%; Medicare, 14.4%; other, 22.1%.

The 2010 national average, private pay monthly rate for a private room with a private bath in an assisted living facility was $3,293, or $39,516 annually, a 5.2% monthly increase from the previous year.

Based on a study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute, the average cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home in the U.S. was $205 per day in 2010 (an increase of 3.5% from 2009), amounting to approximately $74,825 per year. The average per-day cost of a private nursing home room in the U.S. was $229 (up 4.6% from 2009), or $83,585 for the year.

Metropolitan areas with the highest average cost per day for a private room in a nursing home in 2010: Alaska (statewide), $687; San Francisco, CA, $435; Stamford, CT, $415; Hartford, CT, $382; New York, NY, $381; Boston, MA, $339; Rochester, NY, $338; Bridgewater, NJ, $321; Syracuse, NY, $311; Honolulu, HI, $304; Worcester, MA, $303; Miami, FL, $302; Cherry Hill, NJ, $302; Manchester, NH, $302.

Metropolitan areas with the lowest average cost per day for a private room in a nursing home in 2010: Rochester, MN, $140; Shreveport, LA, $142; Baton Rouge, LA, $147; Kansas City, MO, $158; Little Rock, AR, $166; Billings, MT, $170; Fargo, ND, $173; Chicago, IL, $174; Tulsa, OK, $174; St. Louis, MO, $178; Austin, TX, $179; Minneapolis/St. Paul, $180; Memphis, $180. 

According to a study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute, metropolitan areas with the highest average monthly base rate for an individual residing in an assisted living facility during 2010: Washington, DC, $5,231; Stamford, CT, $5,161; Wilmington, DE, $5,125; Southern Maine, $5,011; San Francisco, CA, $4,665; Vermont (statewide), $4,627; Boston, MA, $4,549; New York, NY, $4,503; Manchester, NH, $4,423; Northern Virginia, $4,410; Alaska (statewide), $4,372; Worcester, MA, $4,301.

According to the MetLife Mature Market Institute, metropolitan areas with the lowest average monthly base rate for an individual living in an assisted living facility in 2010: Oklahoma City, OK, $2,330; North Dakota (statewide), $2,408; Shreveport, LA, $2,421; Kansas City, MO, $2,433; Denver, CO, $2,463; Little Rock, AR, $2,490; Los Angeles, CA, $2,533; Bilings, MT, $2,537; Baton Rouge, LA, $2,572; Rapid City, SD, $2,610; Lexington, KY, $2,611; Albuquerque, NM, $2,633.

Nursing homes offer round-the-clock care if someone is too sick to live on their own, or if they need to recover after having an illness or operation. Some people stay for a short time in a nursing home and then go home. Other people may be sicker and need more care for longer periods. Nursing homes are licensed by the state to provide nursing care, personal care and medical services. They also offer different kinds of therapies to help a person recover after an illness or surgery. They provide meals, and do laundry and housekeeping. Finally, nursing homes offer different kinds of activities like art classes and religious services to help residents socialize and make it a place they can call home.  

If a person needs some help every day, but not constant nursing care, assisted living may be a good choice. Assisted living residences provide help with the things people need to do every day, such as bathing or getting dressed, taking medicine, cooking, shopping, housekeeping, laundry and getting around. But, they do all of this while still giving a person the chance to stay active and control their own life. Assisted living facilities may be part of a retirement community or nursing home, or they may stand alone. They offer single or double rooms, or sometimes even suites or apartments, depending on a person's needs and how much he or she can afford.  

The average assisted living community has 54 units. However, assisted living facility size varies greatly and facilities may be much smaller or larger.

Top nursing facility chains in the U.S., based on total number of beds at the beginning of 2011 (with number of facilities in parentheses): 1. HCR ManorCare, 38,092 (277); 2. Golden Living, 31,143 (305); 3. Life Care Centers of America, 29,272 (221); 4. Kindred Healthcare, 27,905 (226); 5. Genesis HealthCare, 26,018 (211); 6. Sun Healthcare Group, 22,243 (200); 7. SavaSeniorCare, 21,279 (186); 8. Extendicare Health Services, 16.893 (167); 9. The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, 12,419 (177); 10. Skilled Healthcare Group, 10,456 (74).

Top assisted living facility chains, according to total occupant capacity at the start of 2011 (with number of locations in parentheses): 1. Emeritus Corp., 50,100 (N/A); 2. Brookdale Senior Living, 27,447 (431); 3. Sunrise Senior Living, 23,200 (N/A); 4. Atria Senior Living, 14,372 (N/A); 5. Five Star Quality Care, 10,591 (152); 6. Assisted Living Concepts, 9,305 (211); 7. Merrill Gardens, 7,700 (56); 8. HCR ManorCare, 5,084 (65); 9. One Eighty Leisure Care, 4,801 (34); 10. Life Care Services, 4,331 (77).

States with the most nursing homes as of mid-2011: California, 1,235; Texas, 1,180; Ohio, 961; Illinois, 783; Pennsylvania, 709; Florida, 681; New York, 635; Missouri, 516; Indiana, 505; Iowa, 444; Michigan, 428; Massachusetts, 427; North Carolina, 422; Wisconsin, 394; Minnesota, 385.
 

States with the highest nursing home occupancy rates as of mid-2011: South Dakota, 94.3%; Alaska, 93.8%; District of Columbia, 93.0%; Hawaii, 92.6%; New York, 92.2%; Vermont, 92.1%; South Carolina, 91.0%; Pennsylvania, 90.9%; Minnesota, 90.7%; Rhode Island, 90.6%; Kentucky, 90.4%; Maine, 89.9%; New Hampshire, 89.9%.

States with the lowest nursing home occupancy rates as of mid-2011: Oregon, 61.5%; Utah, 65.1%; Oklahoma, 66.6%; Montana, 70.4%; Idaho, 71.0%; Texas, 71.2%; Missouri, 72.3%; Louisiana, 72.5%; Arizona, 72.9%; Arkansas, 73.8%; Illinois, 78.0%; Indiana, 79.6%.

As of mid-2011, states with the largest number of nursing home residents: New York, 108,867; California, 102,724; Texas, 91,379; Pennsylvania, 80,743; Ohio, 79,0976; Illinois, 74,501; Florida, 72,105; New Jersey, 45,794; Massachusetts, 42,803; Michigan, 39,875; Indiana, 39,089; Missouri, 37,862.
 

The top independent living providers in the U.S., according to resident capacity at the beginning of 2011: 1. Holiday Retirement, 36,554; 2, Life Care Services, 21,313; 3. Brookdale Senior Living, 20, 418; 4. Horizon Bay Retirement Communities, 10,188; 5. Senior Lifestyle Corporation, 6,987; 6. Capital Senior Living, 6,946; 7. Five Star Senior Living, 6,381; 8. Sunrise Senior Living, 5,852; 9. USA Properties Fund, 5,519; 10. Emeritus Senior Living, 4,948.

There were 15,694 nursing homes in the U.S. as of mid-2011, down from 15,913 in mid-2006 and 16,652 in mid-2001. The average state occupancy rate in mid-2011 was 83.4%.

As of mid-2011, there were approximately 1.394 million individuals living in nursing homes in the U.S. The average number of residents per facility was 88.8.

As of mid-2011, 54.7% of nursing home facilities were owned or operated by a national multifacility chain, while 45.3% were independently owned or operated.
 

As of mid-2011, 67.6% of nursing homes were for-profit operations, while 25.6% were non-profit facilities and the remaining 6.7% were government-affiliated.