April 15, 2026
As Michigan’s population ages, care for the state’s oldest residents remains a growing concern as healthcare costs for older adults continue to rise persistently.
There are many different options available for long-term eldercare according to the Administration on Aging:
The senior population is defined as individuals age 65 and older. According to the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics, the number of seniors in Michigan will rise above 2.4 million by 2032. With a senior population of 1.9 million in 2022, this projected increase would represent a 25 percent rise in this group in just 10 years. The share of people 65 or older in Michigan would rise from 18.7 percent to 23.0 percent over the period, marking a 4.3 percentage point increase in the senior population.
According to The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Michigan had 422 active skilled nursing facilities as of February 2026. Combined, these facilities had a total of 44,000 licensed beds. Both the number of facilities and beds fell from their pre-COVID levels. The number of nursing homes across the U.S. decreased by 4.9 percent, with licensed beds declining 5.6 percent during the seven-year period from 2019 to 2026. Michigan nursing home numbers have declined 4.3 percent since 2019, with Michigan bed numbers falling by 5.4 percent during the same period.
Author:
Michigan Nursing Facility Establishments, 2019-2026
Source: U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Approximately 50,000 people worked in nursing homes in Michigan in 2025, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, a level comparable to 2019. Employment had declined in this industry to fewer than 40,000 by late 2021 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Average Quarterly Employment for Nursing Homes (First Quarter of 2019-Third Quarter of 2025)
Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Top 15 Occupations for Nursing and residential care facilities in Michigan
|
Occupation |
Nursing Care Industry Employment |
Percent of Occupation in Nursing Care Industry |
Nursing Home Industry Hourly Median Wage |
Overall Hourly Median Wage for Occupation |
|
Home Health and Personal Care Aides |
33,050 |
39.4% |
$16.79 |
$16.06 |
|
Nursing Assistants |
15,640 |
38.9% |
$18.33 |
$18.70 |
|
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses |
5,850 |
52.9% |
$30.97 |
$30.68 |
|
Registered Nurses |
4,590 |
4.4% |
$37.81 |
$41.19 |
|
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant |
4,050 |
48.7% |
$14.29 |
$15.25 |
|
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners |
3,680 |
18.0% |
$15.04 |
$16.13 |
|
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria |
3,040 |
22.3% |
$17.53 |
$17.25 |
|
Recreation Workers |
2,210 |
19.4% |
$17.06 |
$16.12 |
|
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General |
2,140 |
5.2% |
$21.15 |
$22.68 |
|
Medical and Health Services Managers |
1,790 |
12.0% |
$41.79 |
$49.93 |
|
Social and Human Service Assistants |
1,650 |
12.8% |
$18.23 |
$18.52 |
|
General and Operations Managers |
1,390 |
1.6% |
$39.12 |
$47.91 |
|
Dietetic Technicians |
1,200 |
43.3% |
$15.76 |
$16.99 |
|
Receptionists and Information Clerks |
1,180 |
4.8% |
$15.65 |
$17.68 |
|
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers |
1,060 |
18.6% |
$16.68 |
$16.78 |
Source: 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (NAICS 6231), Michigan Center for Data and Analytics
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 83,900 people worked as Home health and personal care aides in Michigan during 2024. Roughly 40 percent of these home health aides worked in Nursing and residential care facilities, one quarter worked in Ambulatory healthcare services, and another quarter worked in the Social assistance sector. In comparison, the U.S. employed nearly four million Home health and personal care aides during 2024, of which 17.0 percent worked in Residential care facilities, 26.4 percent worked in Ambulatory healthcare services, and 53.2 percent worked in Social assistance. Interestingly, over double the amount of people worked in Social assistance in the U.S. compared to Michigan during 2024.
Michigan’s Home healthcare aides in Nursing care facilities typically earn more than when they work in other industries. The overall median wage for the position in 2024 was $16.06 while the median for those working the same job in nursing homes was $16.79. Similarly, Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, Cooks, and Recreation workers also tend to have higher wages in Nursing care facilities. Most of other occupations have higher wages outside of nursing home work.
Eldercare occupations are projected to have high growth in Michigan’s 2022-2032 projections. The number of Home health care aides is expected to rise (+17.4 percent), along with Registered nurses (+2.7 percent), Nursing assistants (+1.1 percent), and Licensed practical nurses (+1.3 percent). All nursing home-related positions are expected to grow according to Michigan’s projections, with overall employment for the industry set to increase from 190,200 in 2022 to 212,000 in 2032. This projected growth is even more telling given that the average predicted growth for all occupations is only 0.6 percent, demonstrating that the entire industry is growing at an above-average rate. Despite this projected growth, the industry may still end up understaffed as the elderly population in the state is predicted to increase by over 25 percent over the same time period. While positions like Medical and health service managers and Home health and personal care aides are projected to match this growth, other eldercare positions such as Registered nurses and Licensed practical and vocational nurses have projected growth rates that lag predicted increases in the elderly population.
|
Occupation Title |
2022 Employment |
2032 Employment |
Growth Percentage |
|
Medical and Health Services Managers |
14,350 |
18,190 |
26.8% |
|
Home Health and Personal Care Aides |
85,480 |
100,320 |
17.4% |
|
Social and Human Service Assistants |
12,070 |
13,240 |
9.7% |
|
Registered Nurses |
104,150 |
106,910 |
2.7% |
|
Recreation Workers |
11,300 |
11,560 |
2.3% |
|
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General |
40,370 |
41,170 |
2.0% |
|
General and Operations Managers |
88,170 |
89,750 |
1.8% |
|
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant |
7,920 |
8,050 |
1.6% |
|
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses |
10,590 |
10,730 |
1.3% |
|
Nursing Assistants |
42,680 |
43,170 |
1.1% |
|
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria |
10,410 |
10,510 |
1.0% |
|
Dietetic Technicians |
2,570 |
2,580 |
0.4% |
|
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners |
20,690 |
20,510 |
-0.9% |
|
Receptionists and Information Clerks |
26,720 |
26,400 |
-1.2% |
|
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers |
6,020 |
5,650 |
-6.1% |
Source: 2022-2032 Michigan Long-Term Employment Projections, Michigan Center for Data and Analytics
