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Continuing Care Retirement Communities in the United States

Explore communities with authoritative continuing-care evidence from California, Washington, Florida, North Carolina, and Massachusetts, with provider, license, registration, operational-document, and operator evidence kept distinct.

88published communities

CCRC / Life Plan guide

What a CCRC is—and what its contract is designed to do

A category name is only a starting point. Compare the actual service package, resident agreement, assessment process, and fee schedule before deciding that a community matches someone’s needs.

At a glance

Continuing Care Retirement Communities

A CCRC or Life Plan Community is a campus and continuing-care contract model connecting independent living with access to higher levels of care as needs change.

Who it may fit

Start with day-to-day independence

It may fit an older person or couple moving while relatively independent who values continuity, fewer future moves, and a plan for needs that may diverge.

Important boundary

Verify what is actually included

Several care levels on one campus do not by themselves make it a CCRC. Verify the authorized provider, contract type, entrance fee, monthly fee, refund terms, and financial disclosures.

Compare living and care types

Continuing Care Retirement Communities and related options, compared

A higher score means more of the named dimension—not a better community. These editorial planning scores are not quality ratings, clinical recommendations, or licensing definitions; services and responsibilities vary by state and provider.

Showing this guide with three related alternatives selected by setting and planning use.

Editorial one-to-ten planning scores for senior living and care options across five dimensions
Dimension	CCRCs / Life PlanCurrent guide	Independent living	Assisted living	Skilled nursing
Independence expected10 = most self-directed	8/10 Many residents enter while living independently.	9/10 Usually manages personal care independently.	5/10 Recurring help with daily activities.	1/10 A clinical care plan drives the stay.
Everyday services10 = more commonly bundled	8/10 Campus services vary by residence and contract.	7/10 Meals, housekeeping, or transportation often offered.	8/10 Meals and household services often included.	9/10 Meals, nursing, and rehabilitation are commonly bundled.
Personal support10 = more hands-on help	6/10 Support can increase across the care continuum.	2/10 Usually separate or arranged from outside.	8/10 Help with daily activities is a core feature.	10/10 Facility-level nursing and hands-on support are central.
Supervision structure10 = more structured oversight	6/10 Oversight ranges from independent housing to nursing care.	3/10 Community safety features vary.	7/10 Oversight varies by assessment and state rules.	10/10 Continuous clinical oversight is central.
Housing flexibility10 = broader housing choices	7/10 Multiple residences and care settings may share one campus.	5/10 Usually an apartment in a service-oriented community.	4/10 Residential care setting; state rules apply.	2/10 Usually a room in a licensed nursing facility.

National price orientation

Published monthly starting-price medians

These are separate community samples, not quotes for the same apartment or level of support.

Assisted living$4,350median starting price · 171 communities Memory care$6,353median starting price · 162 communities Independent living$3,550median starting price · 109 communities Skilled nursingNo comparable median yetCMS certification records do not publish each facility's room rate or full charge.Board & Care homesNo comparable median yetCalifornia CDSS license records do not publish residence prices; separately attributed directory prices may appear on individual profiles.

CCRCs / Life PlanNo comparable median yetEntrance fees, monthly fees, and contract types are not comparable as one starting-price median.

55+ communitiesNo like-for-like care medianHousing may involve rent, a home price, HOA fees, or other property costs.

How this national comparison is calculated

Where a median is shown, national medians use each community's lowest currently published monthly starting price for the applicable care type. An unscoped price is eligible only when the community offers exactly one senior-care type. Standard prices are preferred; a limited-unit promotion is used only when it is the sole qualifying price. Communities without a numeric published price are excluded. Skilled nursing, Board & Care, and CCRC / Life Plan are displayed with their source-specific limitations rather than a fabricated cross-source median.

Decision guides

Understand the setting before comparing facilities

Use these focused guides to prepare questions about fit, boundaries, contracts, coverage, and costs.

What is a CCRC or Life Plan Community?

A campus and contract model—not merely a list of care levels.

CCRC vs. assisted living

Compare a long-horizon contract model with a current residential-care service.

CCRC contract types

The label matters less than the actual obligations and covered services.

CCRC entrance fees and monthly fees

Model the current residence and future-care scenarios together.

Refundable CCRC contracts

A refund percentage is only the beginning of the analysis.

CCRC financial and legal diligence

Questions for the provider, regulator, and independent advisers.

When to consider moving to a CCRC

Why the decision often begins before daily help is needed.

Financial planning notes

Treat the contract and provider finances as core diligence

A CCRC decision can involve a substantial entrance fee, recurring monthly fees, future care charges, and refund provisions. Compare contracts, not just campus amenities.

Identify the contract type

Ask which services and care levels the entrance and monthly fees cover, how fees change when one partner needs more care, and whether outside providers are allowed.

Model entrance, monthly, and future-care fees

Request the current fee schedule, historical increases, second-person fees, assessment rules, and examples for independent living, assisted living, memory support, and nursing care.

Understand refund timing and conditions

A stated refundable percentage is not enough. Review when repayment is due, whether re-occupancy is required, deductions, estate treatment, and what happens after a transfer.

Review authorization and financial disclosures

Verify the continuing-care provider and community with the regulator and have qualified financial and legal advisers review the contract and provider disclosures.

Review California continuing-care oversight ↗

Benefit eligibility is personal and state-specific. Official resources explain programs; only the administering agency can determine eligibility.

Recently refreshed

Latest continuing care retirement communities

Profiles most recently checked against their public sources.