Methodology

For the list, U.S. News evaluated over 14,600 nursing homes using publicly available data, primarily from CMS.

To be eligible for a rating, a facility must have sufficient data across staffing, process, and outcome measures. Nursing homes with certain negative indicators, like severe health deficiencies or recent CMS abuse designations, were restricted from earning a "High Performing" rating.

To be recognized as a "Best Nursing Home," a facility must achieve a "High Performing" rating in either short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, or both. A facility's overall rating is calculated as an average of the two care-type ratings, where applicable.

The ratings drew on a range of structural, process, and outcome measures, including:

• ED visits during stay
• Hospitalization during stay
• Total nurse staffing
• Total direct-care nurse staffing
• Weekend nurse staffing
• Weekend direct-care nurse staffing
• Total RN staffing
• Total direct-care RN staffing
• Physical therapist staffing
• RN staffing consistency
• Staff retention

Four additional measures were used for short-term rehabilitation only:

• Residents able to return home
• Hospitalization after discharge
• Hospitalized infections
• Falls with major injury

For long-term care, only two additional measures were included: the percentage of residents with depressive symptoms and the ability to self-care.

Where the best nursing homes are located

According to U.S. News, the following metropolitan areas all have 10 or more Best Nursing Homes:

• Allentown, PA
• Atlanta, GA
• Baltimore, MD
• Boston, MA
• Buffalo, NY
• Charlotte, NC
• Chicago, IL
• Cincinnati, OH
• Cleveland, OH
• Columbus, OH
• Denver, CO
• Des Moines, IA
• Detroit, MI
• Hartford, CT
• Honolulu, HI
• Houston, TX
• Indianapolis, IN
• Jacksonville, FL
• Kansas City, MO
• Lancaster, PA
• Las Vegas, NV
• Los Angeles, CA
• Louisville, KY
• Milwaukee, WI
• Nashville, TN
• New York, NY
• Omaha, NE
• Orlando, FL
• Oxnard, CA
• Philadelphia, PA
• Phoenix, AZ
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Portland, ME
• Portland, OR
• Providence, RI
• Sacramento, CA
• Salt Lake City, UT
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• San Jose, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, D.C.