How we compile these numbers
Last updated: October 6, 2026
This site exists to answer one question quickly: what does care cost, and who pays for it. That only works if the numbers can be checked, so this page sets out where every figure comes from, the rules we publish by, and how automation is used to build the site.
Where the numbers come from
The national medians are taken from Data: CareScout Cost of Care Survey — 2025 national medians (July–November 2025), and the per-state figures from the same survey’s ranked medians by state. The survey’s fieldwork window is July through November 2025. The source data table is linked from this page and from the pages that use it.
Programme rules — what Medicare covers, how Medicaid eligibility works, what the VA pays — are taken from the agencies that publish them, and each guide links the rule it states.
Three rules we publish by
- No number without a source. Every figure on this site traces to a published survey table or a named public source. If a figure cannot be sourced, it is not published — including when a page would read better with a number in it.
- Published figures are printed as published. We do not round, smooth or re-derive a survey figure to make a comparison tidier. Where we calculate — a monthly total from an hourly rate, for example — the calculation is shown so you can check it.
- State data is not projected to cities. The survey is state-level. A city figure cannot be honestly derived from a state median, so we do not publish one.
How automation is used here
Automation, including AI, is used to transcribe the survey’s published tables into the data file behind this site, and to build the comparison tables and the calculator that run on top of it. Without that, a 50-state dataset would not be worth maintaining.
Automation is not used to:
- produce or estimate a figure — every number is printed from a published source;
- decide what this site publishes, or which figures it refuses to publish;
- write under an invented human identity. This site is published by an organisation, and we claim no medical, legal or financial expertise.
The sourcing rules above are enforced by checks that run before anything is published, and that fail loudly rather than warn. A page that cannot pass them does not go out.
What this site is not
- Not medical, legal or financial advice. Eligibility rules differ by state and by household.
- Not a care provider, and not a placement or referral service.
- Not a listing in which facilities pay for position — advertising is labelled, and paid placement never changes a published figure.
Corrections
If a figure looks wrong, use the feedback form on the cost calculator page and name the page and the figure. Corrections go to a person. A figure that cannot be re-sourced is removed rather than left standing.
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Frequently asked questions
Where do the cost figures on this site come from?
The national medians come from Data: CareScout Cost of Care Survey — 2025 national medians, and the per-state figures from the same survey's ranked median tables by state (fieldwork: July through November 2025). Each page that carries a figure names its source next to the figure. We also use a small number of named public sources for programme rules, and those are linked where they are used.
Do you use AI to write this site?
Automation - including AI - is used to transcribe the survey's published tables into our data file, and to build the comparison tables and the calculator that run on top of it. It is not used to produce figures: every number on this site is printed from a published source, and the checks that enforce that are code, not prose. We also do not publish under invented expert identities - this site is published by an organisation, and we make no claim of medical or legal expertise.
Why don't you publish a cost for my city?
Because the survey is state-level. A city figure cannot be honestly derived from a state median, so we do not publish one. City pages, where they exist, list providers and link to the state page rather than quoting a number we cannot support.
Why is your figure different from the quote I received?
The figures here are medians - the middle of a national or state distribution - while a quote is one facility's price for one care package. The two legitimately differ, often by a wide margin, and local market conditions move the number further. Use the figures to understand the shape and drivers of the cost, and the quote for the actual price.
Do facilities pay to appear in your tables?
No. The cost tables are built from survey data and nothing in them is paid placement. Advertising on this site is labelled and does not influence which figures are published or how they are presented.
How do I report an error?
Use the feedback form on the calculator page and name the page and figure you are questioning. Correction requests go to a person, and a figure that cannot be re-sourced is removed rather than left standing.