Alaska nursing home costs hit $364K/year, highest in U.S.

Alaska's median annual nursing home cost for a private room reached $364,453 in 2024, the highest in the United States, according to the Alaska Commission on Aging's 2025 Senior Snapshot data report released this week.

The state's 65 and older population more than doubled between 2010 and 2025, growing from 54,938 to 118,296. Residents age 85 and older are expected to exceed 29,000 individuals by 2050, a 270 percent increase over 2024.

Home and Community-Based Services generated an estimated $691 million in cost avoidance in State Fiscal Year 2025 by helping seniors remain in their homes instead of entering more expensive institutional care, according to the report.

An estimated 8.4 percent of seniors ages 65 and over live below poverty levels. In 2025, 2,707 seniors ages 55 and older reported being homeless. In 2023, 47 percent of senior renters spent more than 35 percent of their income on housing.

By 2030, 23,115 Alaskans are projected to be living with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias, a 24 percent increase from 2025. In 2024, 25,000 Alaskans provided 39 million hours of unpaid care for people with Alzheimer's or other dementias, valued at $887 million.

Alaska residents ages 60 and older reported $8.17 million in financial losses to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2024. Tech Support Scams were the top fraud type by reported losses for seniors, totaling $3,036,319 from 55 victims.