Assisted Living Executives & Managers See Modest Salary Increases
McKnights Senior Living’s Kimberly Bonvissuto recently penned this article regarding the pay increases for Assisted Living admins/CEOs across the nation over the last year:
“Assisted living CEOs/presidents earned a 3.75% salary increase over 2024, while assisted living administrators saw a 2.47%, according to the 2025-2026 Assisted Living Salary & Benefits Report published by Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Services.
The 28th edition of the report includes data from 1,057 assisted living communities, personal care facilities and residential care facilities nationwide, representing more than 79,500 employees across 50 management and staff positions.
National trend data for communities that participated both last year and this year show an annual average salary of $130,701 for assisted living CEOs/presidents, while assisted living administrators reported an average annual salary of $93,334.
Regionally, CEOs/presidents in Region 1: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) reported the highest average salary, $151,655, whereas the same role in Region 7: West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas) reported the lowest average salary, $110,856. This amount compares with the national average salary of $130,002.
For assisted living administrators, those in Region 9: Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington) had the highest average salary, $105,663, compared with the national average of $94,968, whereas Region 5: East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee) had the lowest average salary, $85,918.
The CEO/president role at assisted living communities with up to 60 beds had a national average salary of $119,511. Executives in Region 1 had the highest average salary at $138,017, whereas Region 7 had the lowest average salary, $107,061.
For communities with 61 or more beds, the national average salary was $135,335 for executives, with those in Region 1 reporting the highest average salary, $156,201, and those in Region 7 reported the lowest average salary, $116,4397.
Assisted living administrators at communities with up to 60 beds had a national average salary of $94,943, with Region 9 administrators reporting the highest average salary, $121,502, and those in Region 7 reporting the lowest average salary, $88,238.
Administrators at communities with 61 beds or more reported an average salary of $94,993, with Region 6: West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakotas) administrators reporting the highest average salary, $112,506, and those in Region 5 reporting the lowest annual salary at $78,399.
CEOs/presidents at for-profit companies posted an average salary of $128,446, compared with the average not-for-profit salary of $165,618 for the role. Combined, those assisted living executives reported an average salary of $130,002.
Assisted living administrators at for-profit companies posted an average salary of $87,436, compared with an average salary of $113,601 for those at not-for-profit companies. Combined, assisted living administrators posted an average salary of $94,968.
Those in the roles of CEO/president at companies with revenues up to $4.9 million reported an average salary of $116,106, whereas those at companies posting revenues of more than $5 million reported an average salary of $137,909.
Assisted living administrators at companies with revenues up to $4.9 million reported an average salary of $96,985, whereas those in the same position at companies posting revenues exceeding $5 million reported average salary of $93,566.
Core-Based Statistical Areas analysis revealed that those in the role of CEO/president in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandra, DC-VA-MD-WV area reported the highest average salary, $154,597, whereas executive working in the same role in the Dallas-Forth Worth-Arlginton, TX, area posted the lowest average salary, $110,489.
Assisted living administrators in the CBSA of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA, reported the lowest average salary, $83,052, whereas those in the same position in the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA, area reported the highest average salary, $128,791.
On average, those serving in the role of CEO/president earned an average bonus of $24,109, or 19.26% of their salary, and assisted living administrators reported an average bonus of $9,871, or 11.06% of their salary.
The report is conducted in cooperation with LeadingAge and is supported by the National Center for Assisted Living. In addition to compensation benchmarks, the publication covers 19 fringe benefits, shift differentials, projected salary increases for 2026 and more.
The report is available for purchase on the HCS website.”
