Connecticut and New York among the best states for senior-care staffing

Amid a national nursing shortage, a new study has ranked Connecticut and New York Nos. 6 and 7 respectively when it comes to senior care staffing. 

Seniorly’s  study on the State of Senior Care Staffing analyzed the most recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and the U.S. Census Bureau from 2022 to 2024.  

It considered a variety of factors in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., such as facilities reporting staffing shortages, ratio of staff per occupant, staff turnover and occupancy rates.   

According to the study, the Nutmeg State has the lowest percentage of nursing home staff shortages at 4%, while the Empire State has the best ratio of people aged 75 and older to home health aide, 3:1. New York and Connecticut ranked Nos. 3 and 4 in median staff turnover rate – 41.9% and 42.3% respectively – which is well below the national median average of 52.1%. The two states also did well in nursing home occupancy rates, with New York at 92.8% (No. 3) and Connecticut at 89.9% (tied for eighth). 

Such statistics are critical as senior-care facilities remain 120,000 staffers short of early 2020 levels, according to the American Healthcare Association. After analyzing 14,717 nursing homes, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found substantial evidence linking staffing levels to quality of care. As a record 4.1 million Americans turn 65 in 2024 – in what is being called the “Silver Tsunami” – more families may be seeking appropriate senior facilities in time, making quality of care more crucial.