2026 Home Care Survey Finds Economic Pressures Continue to Impact the Industry

• 61% of home care leaders say rising costs and client affordability continue to significantly limit growth for a third straight year
• Profitability concerns more than double as agencies shift focus from expansion to efficiency and performance

WACO, Texas, Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AxisCare, a leading provider of home care software, today announced the findings from independent research on the future of home care conducted by Leading Home Care...a Tweed Jeffries company. The third annual survey reveals persistent economic pressure that continues to reshape agency growth strategies across the home care industry.  

For the third consecutive year, client affordability and rising costs of staff, supplies, and services remain the most significant obstacles to growth, with 61 percent of industry leaders rating these challenges as a very big or extreme hindrance to their ability to expand and serve their communities. The findings also highlight how economic pressure and rising costs are reshaping agency growth priorities in 2026, with leaders increasingly focused on optimizing performance within existing markets rather than expansion:

• Profitability concerns increased sharply from 13 percent to 34 percent, reflecting increasing financial pressure across the industry
• 65 percent of agencies identified improving performance in their current market and attracting new clients as the greatest growth opportunity
• Caregiver shortages remain the top pain point, but concern declined from 59 percent to 53 percent, signaling improvements in recruitment and retention efforts

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer emerging; it is operational. Cited by 65 percent of respondents, AI is the leading technology trend in home care, and it is expected to deliver the greatest impact through client and caregiver shift matching and automated scheduling. The survey also found that federal policy changes are expected to significantly influence agency growth. More than 45 percent of respondents said the One Big Beautiful Bill will have a significant impact on their ability to scale, with 55 percent citing the Medicaid provider tax reduction as the biggest operational challenge.

Todd Allen, CEO of AxisCare, said: "This year's survey shows an industry getting smarter under pressure. Home care agencies have shifted from expansion-focused strategies to sustainable growth powered by technology. We're seeing AI move from nice-to-have to essential, helping agencies support their caregivers and deliver better care with the resources they have."

"Some very interesting new insights from the 2026 Future of Home Care Study will provide information and knowledge for home care CEOs who want to grow their business and get ready for the future," says Stephen Tweed, CEO of Leading Home Care ... a Tweed Jeffries company and lead investigator for this study. "The significant increase in the number of CEOs who participated in this study shows that leaders are interested in facts, data, and information that will help them make better strategic business decisions." 

Download the full report: The Future of Home Care: A 2026 Survey of the Home Care Industry & Future Trends

About AxisCare: As the industry's leading all-in-one home care software solution for both single and multi-location home care agencies, AxisCare provides back-office scheduling and point-of-care solutions that help agencies in all 50 states and four countries. Specializing in Private Pay, Medicaid, VA Billing, and IDD, AxisCare's state-of-the-art platform helps agencies track essential growth metrics, maintain a healthy cash flow, achieve effortless compliance, and gain full control of their operations so agencies can scale while staying focused on what matters most – providing the best care possible. For more information visit  axiscare.com.  

Survey Methodology: More than 300 industry leaders from home care agencies across the United States completed the survey on their current experiences, challenges, and future trends in home care. Participants included a mix of agency sizes and roles, including home care agency owners, executives, and employees.

SOURCE AxisCare