Last updated: November 2, 2026
Senior living costs and the move, by the numbers
Senior-living costs, demographics, senior-housing occupancy, and relocation preferences from published surveys and market data.
The senior move is usually priced backwards: families start with a community they like and discover the monthly cost later. The numbers below put cost first, because it is the figure that decides most moves — a national assisted-living median of $6,200 a month in 2025, ranging from $4,369 in Mississippi to $12,096 in Hawaii — and then set that cost against who is moving, where, and whether they want to move at all.
Two tensions run through the data. Most adults over 50 want to stay where they are (75%), yet 44% expect to relocate at some point — and the senior-housing market they would move into is nearly full, at 89.5% occupancy in early 2026, with the 80-plus population projected to grow more than seven times faster than the population as a whole over the next decade.
The figures
| Figure | Value | Trend vs prior period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Care costs — CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 | |||
| Assisted living, national median | $6,200/month ($74,400/year) | ▲ Up Prior: $5,900/month in 2024 (+5.1%) — same survey's change table; do not mix 2024 state figures with 2025 state figures | CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 (tables March 2, 2026; survey July–November 2025) |
| In-home care (non-medical caregiver), national median | $35/hour; $80,080/year at 44 hours/week ($6,673/month) | ● Baseline 2025 survey merged homemaker and home health aide into one non-medical caregiver category; 44 hours/week for 52 weeks | CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 (tables March 2, 2026) |
| Assisted living, California state median | $7,000/month ($84,000/year) | ● Baseline State median, CareScout 2025 state tables as reproduced by Retirement Literacy Foundation | CareScout 2025 state tables via Retirement Literacy Foundation (tables March 2, 2026) |
| Assisted living, Florida state median | $5,610/month ($67,320/year) | ● Baseline State median, CareScout 2025 state tables as reproduced by Retirement Literacy Foundation | CareScout 2025 state tables via Retirement Literacy Foundation (tables March 2, 2026) |
| Assisted living, Hawaii state median — highest state | $12,096/month ($145,155/year) | ● Baseline Highest state in the 2025 state table | CareScout 2025 state tables via Retirement Literacy Foundation (tables March 2, 2026) |
| Assisted living, Mississippi state median — lowest state | $4,369/month ($52,425/year) | ● Baseline Lowest state in the 2025 state table | CareScout 2025 state tables via Retirement Literacy Foundation (tables March 2, 2026) |
| Demographics — U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 | |||
| Population age 65+ in 2024 | 61.2 million, 18.0% of the U.S. population | ▲ Up Prior: up 3.1% from 2023, while the under-18 population fell 0.2% to 73.1 million | U.S. Census Bureau press release (June 26, 2025) |
| Older adults outnumber children, 2024 | 11 states; almost 45% of counties (1,411 of 3,144) | ▲ Up Prior: 3 states in 2020 (Maine, Vermont, Florida); 31.3% of counties (983) in 2020 | U.S. Census Bureau press release (June 26, 2025) |
| Senior-housing market — NIC MAP, 31 Primary Markets | |||
| Senior-housing occupancy, Q1 2026 | 89.5% | ▲ Up 19th consecutive quarterly increase; near the 2006 record high of 91.3% | NIC Academy, summarizing NIC MAP Q1 2026 (June 29, 2026) |
| Occupancy by segment, Q1 2026 | Assisted living 87.9%; independent living above 91% | ● Baseline Segment split for the same quarter as the 89.5% headline | NIC Q1 2026 release, as reproduced by Wolf Media (April 2026) |
| Population age 80+ projected growth | From 14 million to 19 million over the next decade (+36.6%), vs +5% total U.S. population | ▲ Up Projection cited to Census Bureau 2024 vintage projections, via NIC | NIC Academy (June 29, 2026) |
| Preferences and relocation — surveys and mover studies | |||
| Adults age 50+ who want to remain in their current home | 75% (73% want to remain in their community) | ● Baseline AARP 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey (3,090 adults 18+, summer 2024) | AARP (December 10, 2024; page updated November 21, 2025) |
| Adults age 50+ who expect to relocate at some point | 44% | ● Baseline Same AARP 2024 survey sample as the row above | AARP (December 10, 2024; page updated November 21, 2025) |
| Retiree moves, 2023 | Florida top retiree inbound state at 29%; retirement as a move reason fell to 14% of all respondents (from 20% in 2022) | ▼ Down United Van Lines customer moves — not a national census; study year 2023, page undated | United Van Lines 2023 National Movers Study |
How to read these numbers
Included: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 national and state medians (tables March 2, 2026; state tables as reproduced by Retirement Literacy Foundation, named honestly on each state row); Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates; NIC MAP Q1 2026 occupancy for 31 Primary Markets; AARP 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey; and United Van Lines 2023 National Movers Study. Excluded: any separate memory-care median (no separate median appears in the CareScout 2025 tables seen — memory care typically costs more than assisted living, but no median is stated here rather than estimated); 2024 state medians (superseded by 2025 tables); and senior move-manager hourly rates and Medicare per-visit figures that could not be verified in primary page text.
State medians describe the state, not any single community: actual community pricing varies by care level, unit size, and location within the state. Survey figures are medians, not averages, and company mover-study figures describe that company's customers, not all movers.
Disclaimer: Figures on this page are aggregated public estimates assembled for information only. They are not investment advice, legal advice, medical advice, or a professional opinion on any specific case, claim, project, or purchase. Original reporting and the underlying surveys remain the work of the sources linked above; this page summarizes their published figures with attribution and adds no proprietary dataset.
elderroute.com is offered for sale at $4,888.
Questions about this domain: info@primedomaincapital.com
Changelog
- November 2, 2026: Initial edition — CareScout 2025 cost medians, Census 2024 demographics, NIC MAP Q1 2026 occupancy, AARP 2024 preferences, and United Van Lines 2023 retiree-move figures established.