150

Argentum’s 2020 Largest Providers Report list increased by 10 this year to include data on 150 senior living providers.

The report, compiled from a survey of voluntary and company-provided data, ranks U.S. senior living providers by number of units, number of employees, types of care offered and more. The versions released Thursday and Friday are updates of a version released Aug. 14.

Brookdale Senior Living remains the largest provider by far, with Life Care Services in second place with 46% fewer units. But Broodale has almost 7,500 fewer total units listed for 2020 compared with last year’s list, a decrease of approximately 10% (68,044 units in 2020 versus 75,537 in 2019).

Brookdale changed several top positions in late 2018 and named new members to more than half of its board in 2019. The company made several large deals, including taking ownership from Healthpeak Properties (then HCP) of 18 communities and completing more than 742 capital expansion projects. 

Life Care Services also is in the top spot on the continuing care retirement community operator list, with 97 properties. In the first quarter, the organization was selected to manage 13 of Healthpeak’s properties.

“Knowing the data in this changing industry is critical to understanding where we are and what may be ahead,” Argentum President and CEO James Balda said. “The numbers here represent an economic driver of significant impact in an industry that will continue to see and respond to the growing demand for seniors housing and aging services.”

In general, the list represents only for-profit providers and does not include skilled nursing. 

Data are current as of Dec. 31, 2019. Argentum said it chose that date due to data collection difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic and its desire to reconcile its yearly reports based on whole years rather than the first quarter.

The top 10 largest providers overall:

  1. Brookdale Senior Living, 68,044 total units
  2. Life Care Services, 36,739
  3. Holiday Retirement, 31,684
  4. Five Star Senior Living, 27,656
  5. Sunrise Senior Living, 23,066
  6. Erickson Living 22,010
  7. Atria Senior Living, 21,662
  8. Senior Lifestyle, 17,662
  9. ALG Senior (formerly Affinity), 12,863
  10. Capital Senior Living, 11,878

The top 10 list for 2020 contains the same providers as the 2019 list, although they’re in a different order. Brookdale and Senior Lifestyle remained in the same positions, whereas ALG (formerly Affinity), Erickson Living, Five Star Senior Living and LifeCare Services moved to higher positions on the list, and Atria Senior Living, Capital Senior LIving, Holiday Retirement and Sunrise Senior Living moved down.

Argentum also shared some additional rankings.

Brookdale is ranked as the largest assisted living provider, with 34,572 units, and the largest memory care provider, with 9,968 units. Holiday Retirement is the largest independent living provider, with 31,272 units. Life Care Services was named the largest CCRC operator, with 97 communities. 

Sunrise Senior Living was listed as the provider with the most properties outside of the United States, at 61 properties — 15 in Canada and 46 in the United Kingdom.

Welltower topped the lists of real estate investment trusts, with 66,253 total U.S. units at 655 properties and a senior living investment value of $17.7 billion.

The Argentum report also includes information on COVID-19’s effect on the industry, a look at the increase in private equity in senior living, a check-in on middle markets and a look at active adult communities, and it also highlights provider and REIT activity and acquisitions.