Senior housing occupancy rate drops below 88% in second quarter

The occupancy rate for senior housing across the United States continued to decline in second quarter 2018, according to new data from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), a nonprofit organization that provides data and analytics on the sector.

Occupancy in U.S. senior-housing and care properties averaged 87.9 percent in second quarter 2018, down 0.4 percentage point from the prior quarter and down 0.8 percentage point from a year ago. The decline places occupancy at its lowest level since first quarter 2010 (86.9 percent). Current occupancy is 2.3 percentage points below its most recent high of 90.2 percent in fourth quarter 2014.

“The seniors housing occupancy rate has trended downward over the past 10 quarters, which is only two quarters short of its 12-quarter downturn during the great recession,” said Chuck Harry, NIC’s chief of research and analytics. “A