CA's Best And Worst Nursing Homes: 2026 U.S. News & World Report

CALIFORNIA — The U.S. News & World Report's latest Best Nursing Homes ratings are out this week. In California, 1,162 nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities were evaluated, and roughly 19% are ranked high for Best Nursing Homes in both Short-Term Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care, according to the report.

A total of 234 California nursing facilities are ranked high-performing for short-term rehabilitation. A total of 183 are ranked high-performing for long-term care, according to the list. A mere 210 facilities received an overall rating of 5 out of 5.

The U.S. News Chief of Health Analysis and Managing Editor addressed the importance of specific criteria when selecting a facility to care for your loved one's needs.

“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,” Harder said. “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."

In California, Nursing Homes and Skilled Nursing Facilities in the following metro areas rank 5 out of 5 in the U.S. News & World Report Ranking.

Click your metro area to see which nursing homes, and/or skilled facility meets your needs, including insurance:

• Bakersfield:
• Fresno:
• Los Angeles
• Merced
• Modesto
• Oxnard
• Redding
• Riverside-San Bernardino (Inland Empire)
• Sacramento
• Salinas
• San Diego
• San Francisco-Oakland
• San Jose
• Santa Maria-Santa Barbara:
• Santa Rosa:
• Stockton:
• Visalia-Porterville:
• Anaheim:
• Carlsbad
• Citrus Heights
• Clovis
• Concord
• Elk Grove
• Escondido
• Huntington Beach
• Irvine
• Long Beach
• Santa Barbara
• Thousand Oaks
• Torrance
• Walnut Creek

The scores are based on a methodology of 17 distinct quality measures that capture post-acute care quality, nurse staffing consistency, and patient-centered outcomes.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Administration on Aging, the average 65-year-old has an almost 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care at some point, and 20% will need such care for more than five years. Many families struggle with decisions about how to pay for long-term care, according to the report.

While one-third of older adults may never require long-term care services, many people do need additional support, including care in a nursing home, says Dr. Charles, associate professor of internal medicine and geriatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

“People often don’t think that they’ll need nursing home care, and they assume that Medicare or private health care insurance will cover it,” Crecelius said. "This can be a costly mistake."