Satisfaction climbs even as assisted living and memory care costs rise about 10% and independent living rents rise 7%–9% year over year
Independent living communities see a 25-point gain in overall satisfaction; assisted living/memory care rises 12 points
Improvements in pricing perceptions, staff performance, dining and activities drive gains across segments
Rising prices aren’t dampening how residents and their families feel about senior living communities. In fact, satisfaction is moving sharply higher, according to the 2025 J.D. Power U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study, released Wednesday.
Overall satisfaction among independent living residents reached 753 on J.D. Power’s 1,000-point scale—a 25-point increase from 2024. Among family members and other decision-makers rating assisted living and memory care communities, satisfaction rose 12 points to 867.
Andrea Stokes, J.D. Power’s hospitality and senior living practice lead, said the growth reflects residents feeling they are getting good value, even amid steep increases in the cost of care. “We’re seeing noteworthy gains in satisfaction across all areas of the senior living experience, even in prices paid for services,” she said.
Independent living gains led by value, staff and amenities
Independent living providers earned major year-over-year increases in satisfaction with price paid for services (+28 points), community staff (+25) and community buildings and grounds (+21). That rise in staff-related satisfaction is notable for an industry still grappling with persistent workforce shortages, J.D. Power noted.
Family members and decision-makers reported higher satisfaction with the assisted living experience thanks to improvements in dining (+11 points), resident activities (+8) and resident living units (+7). Quality-of-care scores also hit new territory: satisfaction with staff care in assisted living and memory care communities reached an all-time high of 8.89 on a 10-point scale.
LCS leads independent living; Discovery tops assisted living/memory care
For the seventh straight year, LCS (Life Care Services) ranked highest for independent living satisfaction, scoring 831. Discovery Senior Living followed with 761, and Five-Star Senior Living ranked third with 757.
In the assisted living and memory care category, Discovery Senior Living led with a score of 884, followed by Atria Senior Living (879) and Frontier Senior Living (877).
How the study was conducted
The 2025 study reflects 2,917 responses from independent living residents and from family members or decision-makers for assisted living and memory care residents. Results were collected from May through August 2025. J.D. Power measured satisfaction across six key areas: community buildings and grounds; staff; dining; pricing; activities; and living units.
More information about the study is available at the J.D. Power website.