Free · data-only · recomputed every CMS refresh

Top Rated Nursing Home 2026

An award no facility can buy. It goes automatically to nursing homes with a 5-star or top-10%-in-state rating, zero penalties, and no CMS warning flags, and it leaves the moment the data stops supporting it.

2,499Current awardees

51States

4Criteria, no exceptions

Check any facility’s badge status

Facility name, city, or ZIP code

Every facility has a verification page, awarded or not.

Four criteria, one rule for everyone

5-star or top 10% in stateA CMS overall rating of 5, or an overall rating that beats at least 90% of rated nursing homes in the same state.
Zero penaltiesNo civil money penalties and no denials of payment in the CMS penalty window, roughly three years.
Not a Special Focus FacilityNot in the Special Focus Facility program and not on the candidate list.
No abuse iconNo CMS abuse citation flag on Care Compare.

Why the badge means something

Computed, never licensed

Most “best nursing home” seals are sold. This one is calculated from public CMS data on the same rule for every facility. There is no application, fee, or licensing.

Disappears on its own

Awards are recomputed after every CMS data refresh. A facility that picks up a penalty or drops below the rating bar loses the badge, and its embedded image stops rendering.

Verified in public

Every badge links to a verification page that shows the four criteria and the numbers behind them, so families can confirm an award is current.

Put it on your website in two minutes

For facility staff. The badge is free and needs no account; the snippet lives on your verification page.

Search for your facility above and open its verification page.
Copy the embed snippet. The image links back to the verification page, which is what makes the award credible.
Paste it on your website. Claim your facility to manage the snippet, report card, and analytics from one dashboard.

The badge is informational and not a guarantee of care quality. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by CMS.

Claim your facility

How does a nursing home earn the Top Rated badge?

Automatically, from CMS Care Compare data: a 5-star overall rating or an overall rating in the top 10% of the state, zero fines and payment denials in the CMS penalty window, no Special Focus Facility status or candidacy, and no CMS abuse icon. All four must hold in the same data release.

Can a facility buy or apply for the badge?

No. There is no application, fee, or licensing. The badge is recomputed at every data refresh and disappears from an embedded page as soon as the facility no longer qualifies.

How can families verify a badge they see on a website?

Every badge links to a verification page on thecareratings.com that shows the award date, the four criteria with the facility's current numbers, and a link to its full report card. If the page says the facility does not hold the badge, the image on the other site is out of date.

How is this different from paid "best nursing home" seals?

Most seals are licensed to facilities for a fee after a ranking. Ours is computed on the same public rule for every facility, is free to display, and is revoked automatically. Our about page explains why we do not sell placements or seals.

Which facilities are covered?

Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes rated by CMS (about 14,700). Assisted living and home care are licensed by states and are not inspected by CMS, so they are not part of the program.