The occupancy rate for senior living properties with a majority of assisted living units fell 1.7% last month, according to new data from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care’s NIC MAP Data Service. That’s the biggest drop assisted living has seen since April, and it pushes occupancy rates to a new low of 82.9%.
NIC’s latest intra-quarterly report, which includes data from more than 15,000 seniors housing and care properties in 140 U.S. metro markets, also finds that properties with a majority of independent living units also fell to a new low of 88.1% last month.
The update also showed a wide variation in metro-specific performance. Senior living properties in the San Jose, CA, area, for example, continued to report the nation’s strongest occupancy levels last month, with independent living reporting 93.2% occupancy and assisted living at 87.5%. Conversely, Houston ranked lowest in independent living occupancy, reporting an average occupancy of 81.9%, according to NIC. San Antonio took the bottom spot for July occupancy rates among assisted living properties, with an average rate of 75%.
