Arkansas has 221 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes according to CMS Care Compare — the 26th most of any state. Of those, 59 facilities (26.7%) hold a 5-star overall CMS rating, which is above the national average of 20.7%. The map below shows every Arkansas skilled nursing facility, color-coded by star rating, with filters for minimum stars and ownership type.
Arkansas Nursing Homes by the Numbers
- 221 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified skilled nursing facilities
- 24,138 certified beds statewide
- 59 facilities (26.7%) hold a 5-star CMS overall rating — above the national average of 20.7%
- 57 facilities rated 4 stars (above average)
- 42 facilities rated 3 stars (average)
- 59 facilities (26.7%) rated 1 or 2 stars — below average on inspections, staffing, or quality measures
- 89.6% for-profit (198 facilities); 5.9% non-profit (13); 4.5% government-operated (10)
How CMS Star Ratings Work in Arkansas
CMS evaluates every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home in Arkansas across three domains: health inspections (unannounced state surveys every 9–15 months), staffing levels (RN hours per resident day and total nurse staffing relative to case-mix benchmarks), and quality measures (17 clinical outcomes including pressure ulcer rates, fall rates, and antipsychotic medication use). A 5-star overall rating means the facility ranks well above average in all three domains; 1 star means well below average. CMS recalibrates thresholds annually.
Ownership in Arkansas
89.6% of Arkansas nursing homes are for-profit, 5.9% are non-profit, and 4.5% are government-operated. Nationally, 73.8% of skilled nursing facilities are for-profit. Research consistently finds that non-profit and government facilities have higher average staffing ratios, though individual performance varies widely within each ownership type.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many nursing homes are in
Arkansas has 221 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified skilled nursing facilities, ranking 26th nationally by facility count. These facilities collectively hold 24,138 certified beds.
What percentage of Arkansas nursing homes are rated 5 stars?
26.7% of Arkansas nursing homes — 59 facilities — hold a 5-star CMS overall rating, which is above the national average of 20.7% of 20.7%. Use the “4+ stars” or “5 stars only” filter on the map to find top-rated facilities.
How do I find the best nursing home in
Use the map above with the “4+ stars” filter to identify above-average Arkansas facilities. Then visit CMS Care Compare for any facility you are considering to review its most recent health inspection report, RN staffing hours, quality measure scores, and whether it appears on the Special Focus Facility list.
→ View all 14,700 US nursing homes on the national interactive map
