Hourly rates for Medication Aides in assisted living communities rose by 3.15% in 2025, according to the newly released Assisted Living Salary & Benefits Report. The Report is published by Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service (HCS) in cooperation with LeadingAge and supported by the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL).

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While all nursing positions received rate increases in 2025, the pace of wage growth has decelerated compared to the previous year. Medication Aides received a 3.15% hourly rate increase in 2025, a decrease from the 3.97% hike seen in 2024. This pattern held true for RNs, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), and Resident Assistants (RAs), all of whom saw modest salary growth compared to the aggressive increases of previous years. Despite the decelerated wage increases, the industry is seeing positive signs regarding staff retention. Turnover rates continued their downward trajectory in 2025 after peaking in 2020-2021. CNAs saw the most significant improvement, with turnover dropping to 38.43%, down from 40.28% the previous year; Medication Aide turnover decreased to 38.64% from 39.50% in 2024; and RAs dropped slightly to 44.46% in 2025.

The 2025-2026 Assisted Living Salary & Benefits Report includes data from 1,057 Assisted Living, Personal Care, and Residential Care Facilities nationwide, representing more than 79,500 employees across 50 management and staff positions. Data is reported regionally by bed-size, revenue size, and for-profit/not-for-profit status, as well as by CBSA, state, and nationally. In addition to compensation benchmarks, the report covers 19 fringe benefits, shift differentials, projected salary increases for 2026, and more. The price for the 250-page Report is $400.