For the second year in a row, nursing home caregivers (including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nurse aides) received “considerable” hourly rate increases in 2023, according to the 46th annual HCS Nursing Home Salary & Benefits Report, released Monday by Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Services.
Increases ranged from 7.04% to 9.66%, the report said. Ongoing workforce recruitment and retention efforts to counter staffing challenges have contributed to the rates, although this year’s increases were slightly less than those of a year ago, according to HCS.
“While the 2023 increases dropped slightly from the double-digit increases of 2022, they are still nearly double the routine yearly increases of 3% to 5% that were seen prior to 2020,” HCS reported.
The national hourly rate for RNs in 2023 was $37.86; the hourly rate for LPNs was $29.66; and the rate for CNAs was $18.68, according to the survey of 1,089 nursing homes.
Approximately 65% of the responding providers said that they are continuing to offer sign-on bonuses to attract caregivers. Almost 48% (47.88%) of participants reported offering sign-on bonuses for RNs, with an average bonus of $4,879. Just more than 46% (46.06%) said they offered such bonuses for LPNs, with an average bonus of $3,770, and 40% of participants said they offered the bonuses for CNAs, with an average bonus of $2,157.
The recruitment and retention efforts appear to be working, the data show, as staff turnover rates have declined for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The turnover rate for RNs dropped to 39.03% in 2023, approaching the typical rate of 30% to 35% seen prior to 2020. The LPN turnover rate decreased to 38.21% in 2023, moving closer to the standard 30% rate seen pre-2020, and CNA turnover declined to 50.83%, according to the report.
Among registered nurses, the West North Central region of the United States — Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota — saw the greatest average wage increase, at 5.65%. At the low end, registered nurses in the Mountain region — Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — saw an average wage increase of 3.57%.
LPNs in the West North Central, likewise, led the nation in wage increases in 2023, at 5.8%. The Mountain region again came in last, at 3.55%.
CNAs in the West North Central gained an average hourly rate of 6.41%, whereas the South Atlantic Region — Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia —saw an average wage increase of 3.91%.
The reference book is created annually in cooperation with LeadingAge and the American Health Care Association. To order the report, visit the HCS website or call (201) 405-0075.
