America’s aging population is rapidly transforming senior housing, with occupancy rates climbing quarter after quarter and new supply struggling to catch up. The senior housing occupancy rate in the United States increased 0.7 percentage points to 88.7 percent in third quarter 2025 from 88 percent in second quarter 2025, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), using data from NIC MAP’s latest quarterly release. This is the 17th consecutive quarter of occupancy rate increases.
This trend was seen across community types:
Independent living occupancy climbed above 90 percent for the first time since 2019, reaching 90.2 percent, an increase of 0.5 percentage points from second quarter 2025. These are communities that primarily serve people who do not yet have ongoing long-term care needs and want to maintain an independent living arrangement.
Assisted living occupancy jumped to 87.2 percent, an increase of 0.9 pe
