Average assisted living administrator salary tops $100,000

Salaries for assisted living administrators working in assisted living communities averaged $100,622 in 2019, an increase of 3.6% over 2018, when the average salary was $97,126, according to the 22nd annual “Assisted Living Salary & Benefits Report.” The 236-page report is hot off the presses from the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service.

The increase marked a reversal from 2018, when the position saw a salary decrease of –0.07% compared with the previous year. The figures represent the increase in pay from communities that participated in both the 2018 and 2019 studies.

Analysis by state revealed that assisted living administrators in Georgia and North Carolina had the lowest average salaries, $63,452 and $65,933, respectively. Assisted living administrators in Maryland, meanwhile, received the highest average pay, at $97,349, followed by Massachusetts at $92,682, HCS said.

Assisted living administrators working in assisted living communities earned less than their peers working in continuing care retirement communities and nursing homes, according to the report. Those working at larger assisted living communities or communities with higher revenues generally had higher salaries than smaller communities or communities with relatively lower revenues. Also, assisted living administrators working at not-for-profit communities generally earned more than those working at for-profit communities.

The report covers 20 management and 29 non-management positions. A total of 1,360 assisted living, personal care and residential care facilities participated in the most recent study, providing data on more than 87,400 employees.

Data, effective as of October, are reported according to for‑profit and not-for-profit status, revenue size, unit-size, state, core-based statistical area and geographic region. Also covered are 18 fringe benefits, turnover rates by department and projected salary increases for 2020.

The report, published in cooperation with LeadingAge and supported by the National Center for Assisted Living, is available for $350. Participating communities can buy it for $195, and LeadingAge and NCAL members can purchase it for $275. See the HCS website.