U.S. News & World Report Announces 2026 Best Nursing Homes Ratings

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Nov 13, 2025, 00:01 ET

Expanded methodology provides comprehensive quality assessment for both post-acute rehabilitation and long-term care needs.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in health care rankings and consumer advice, today announced the 2026 Best Nursing Homes ratings. The new edition evaluates nearly 15,000 U.S. nursing homes and recognizes fewer than 19% as "Best Nursing Homes" in "Short-Term Rehabilitation," "Long-Term Care" or both.

The 2026 U.S. News Best Nursing Homes proprietary ratings feature a significant methodology update, expanding both the Short-Term Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care ratings to include 17 distinct quality measures each. These measures capture post-acute care quality, nurse staffing consistency and patient-centered outcomes.

Skilled nursing facilities offer crucial care for both rehabilitation and nursing patients, providing assistance with activities of daily living – such as medication management, physical rehabilitation and chronic disease management – for both short-term recovery and long-term residency.

Since its debut in 2009, the annual Best Nursing Homes analysis from U.S. News has served as a key resource, providing trusted, data-driven insights to families – in consultation with their health care providers – seeking the best options for either short-term rehabilitation or comprehensive long-term care.

"Choosing a nursing facility, whether for post-acute rehabilitation – such as recovering from surgery like a hip replacement, a serious injury like a fracture or managing the aftermath of a stroke – or long-term residency, is one of the most crucial health care decisions a family can make," said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News.

"This year's Best Nursing Homes ratings are the most comprehensive yet, with a significantly expanded portfolio of performance measures that offer families an even more holistic assessment of quality for both short-term rehab and long-term care," Harder added.

Of note in the 2026 Best Nursing Homes ratings, on average:

U.S. News Best Nursing Homes provide 20% more total staffing per resident per day compared to the national average.
Top-performing skilled nursing facilities offer 80% more physical therapy per resident per day than the national average.
Top-rated nursing homes have a 15% lower rate of hospitalizations for long-term residents compared to the national average.
Rehab patients at the highest-performing skilled nursing facilities have a 33% lower rate of emergency room visits compared to the national average.

Note: Averages are calculated by U.S. News from data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The following 20 metropolitan areas, listed in alphabetical order, have the greatest number of Best Nursing Homes in the U.S.:

For more information, visit Best Nursing Homes and use #BestNursingHomes on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and X. Compare nursing homes in your area here.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.