Senior housing occupancy surpassed 90 percent in third quarter 2026, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), using data analyzed from NIC MAP.
Holding national occupancy at 90 percent as the population ages would require more than 100,000 new units in most years through the late 2030s. The current pace of development is 10,445 units per year — roughly 10 percent of that requirement.
“For several quarters we’ve seen a widening gap between what baby boomers will need and what the industry is producing,” said Lisa McCracken, NIC’s head of research and analytics. “We’re hearing anecdotally that planning activity for new development is picking up, but until we see the trend reflected in the data, there will continue to be increasing pressure — and opportunity — to meet demand.”
Boston (94.0 pe
