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The nurses who staff nursing homes earn less than their peers in assisted living and continuing care retirement communities, according to the 20th annual “Assisted Living Salary & Benefits Report,” published by the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service.

The wage difference applies across the board but is most noticeable among licensed practical nurses. LPNs at nursing homes earn an average of $21.56 an hour, or $1.57 less per hour than their equally trained assisted living equivalents. Nursing home registered nurses, meanwhile, earn average hourly pay of $27.84, versus $29.39 for those in assisted living.

Wages for certified nurse aides were more evenly matched at $12.36 per hour in nursing homes, $13.13 at assisted living communities and $13.24 in CCRCs.

The comparisons are based on the national 50th-percentile hourly rates collected for the 2018 assisted living report as well as the “CCRC Salary & Benefits Report” published in June 2017 and the “Nursing Home Salary & Benefits Report” published in July 2017.

The full assisted living report includes responses from more than 600 assisted living communities in the U.S. They provided compensation data related to more than 37,000 employees in 20 management and 29 non-management positions.

Data is available by for-profit and not-for-profit status, revenue size, unit size, state, county and geographic region. Also covered are 18 fringe benefits, turnover rates by department and projected salary increases for 2018.

The publication is available for $350, or $275 for members of LeadingAge or the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living.