Long-term care is expensive across the country, but some states—particularly those on the East Coast—have much higher median costs than others, as demonstrated by Genworth’s 2014 Cost of Care Survey.
Nearly half of the states have a higher median annual cost for care in a single-occupancy assisted living unit than the U.S. median of $42,000.
The East Coast by far outpaces the national median for assisted living care, along with noncontiguous states Alaska and Hawaii. Meanwhile, the Midwest and Mountain states tend to be more in line with or beneath the national median.
Ten Most Expensive States for Assisted Living Care
- Washington, D.C.—$82,674
- Alaska, Delaware (tied)—$66,000
- New Jersey—$65,160
- Connecticut—$63,468
- Massachusetts—$62,964
- Maine—$59,400
- Rhode Island—$58,740
- Hawaii—$57,000
- New Hampshire—$52,470
On the other end of the spectrum, Georgia and Missouri are tied for cheapest states for median annual assisted living costs at $30,000, with Arkansas, South Carolina, and Alabama all coming in beneath $35,000.
Median costs for a private room in a skilled nursing facility are even steeper, ranging from $57,000 on the low end in Oklahoma to $130,670 in New York (and nearly $5,000 more in Hawaii, topped by $240,900 in Alaska).
While home healthcare is often touted as a less expensive alternative than institutional care, Genworth’s cost of care map for home health services demonstrates that it’s only cheaper if round-the-clock care isn’t needed for a long period of time.
The national median annual cost for home health aide services is $45,188, with Louisiana on the low end of the spectrum at $34,320 and Massachusetts and Hawaii at the high end, above $57,000 a year.
Check out the Genworth 2014 Cost of Care Survey, including the state-by-state cost breakdowns for the various long-term care options.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
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