1. Primary Federal & Benchmark Data Sources
Our directory and cost reports integrate three authoritative data pillars:
- CMS Medicare & Medicaid Care Compare: Official federal datasets providing five-star quality ratings, health inspection deficiency citations, registered nurse staffing hours per resident day (HPRD), and ownership records for Medicare-certified nursing homes and home health agencies.
- CareScout Cost of Care Survey: Comprehensive private-pay pricing benchmarks collected across 50 U.S. states and metropolitan areas, covering assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, adult day care, and home care.
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS): 1-year and 5-year estimates (Table B01001) for civilian non-institutionalized populations aged 65 and older, providing the denominator for regional provider density metrics.
2. Statistical Treatment & Median Calculations
Senior care costs are subject to extreme upward skew from ultra-luxury continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). To provide realistic, actionable figures:
- Medians Over Means: We prioritize monthly medians (50th percentile) over arithmetic averages to ensure that high-end outlier facilities do not distort the expected family expense.
- Tiered Care Surcharges: Base assisted living rates generally cover room and board. Our reports clearly distinguish base monthly rent from Level of Care (LOC) or Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assistance tiers (medication administration, incontinence management, mobility support).
- Annualized Rates: Nursing home daily rates are annualized (× 365) and divided by 12 to provide standardized monthly equivalents for direct comparison with residential care facilities.
3. Provider Supply & Capacity Density Ratios
To measure care availability and identify senior care deserts across regions, we calculate standardized per-capita density:
This formula highlights supply shortages in rural areas compared to dense urban corridors, adjusting for varying elderly population concentrations.
4. Open Data Access & Citation Guidelines
In support of academic research and eldercare journalism, our nationwide dataset is published in machine-readable format:
Editorial Questions or Discrepancies?
If you represent a regulatory body, research institution, or care provider and have questions about our data normalization, review our Editorial Standards & Review Policy or contact editorial@kazoku.care.