The U.S. aging population has never grown as fast or been as large as it is right now, and this unprecedented demographic mega-trend is only now beginning. The number of people 80 years and older will increase tremendously during the next 25 years, with nearly 16 million “new” 80-plus-year-olds by 2050. Supply growth is stagnant, and NIC MAP Vision estimates $275 billion of additional capital is needed to meet the needs by 2030. This explosive growth means the senior housing industry will expand for decades to come, making investing in senior housing not only a strategic move but a profitable one.

The current market landscape

On the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, the senior housing occupied-unit penetration rate was at an all-time high after a slow build throughout the 2010s. As local governments responded to the threat of COVID-19 by enacting temporary senior housing admissions bans, the penetration rate dramatically shed six years’ worth of gain