Assisted Living in New Jersey

Seniors in New Jersey have many options for assisted living in a safe, supportive, and maintenance-free lifestyle post-retirement. New Jersey offers two main types of facility: assisted living residences and comprehensive personal care homes.^[01] We’ll explore the ins and outs of both community types below. The average cost per month of assisted living in New Jersey is about $7,000 a month or $84,000 annually, according to A Place for Mom’s proprietary data.^[02] At this price point, assisted living in New Jersey costs over $1,800 more per month than the national average, making it one of the most expensive states in the U.S.

The average monthly cost of assisted living in New Jersey is approximately $7,000, which is significantly more expensive than the national average monthly cost of assisted living, which is approximately $5,100 as of 2022. These numbers refer to the average final monthly costs paid by families living in our partner communities.

New Jersey assisted living costs at A Place for Mom’s partner communities typically range from roughly $3,900 to just over $10,000 a month.^[02] Communities in large metropolitan areas like the suburbs of New York City, or in luxury locales like resort towns on the Jersey Shore, generally cost more than facilities in smaller or more rural locations. Costs can also vary by amenities provided, the level of care a resident needs, and the community’s pricing structure.

New Jersey divides their assisted living facilities into the following categories:^[01]

• Assisted living residences, which are defined as “new construction”
• Comprehensive personal care homes, which are converted residential boarding homes that may not meet the requirements for assisted living residences

New Jersey also offers “assisted living programs,” which are services rather than locations. They generally apply to senior tenants in subsidized housing and are licensed separately from concrete assisted living facilities.

The type of program greatly affects the cost of assisted living. Because of their smaller size and different licensing requirements, comprehensive personal care homes generally cost less than assisted living residences.

The monthly cost figures provided by A Place for Mom’s New Jersey partner communities generally cover a senior’s complete care needs, including:

• Assistance with activities of daily living, such as dressing, bathing, and personal grooming
• 24-hour supervision and monitoring
• Three meals a day, plus snacks
• Laundry and housekeeping services
• Assistance with personal medication management or medication administration
• Planned social events and scheduled activities

In addition to facility type, factors that affect the cost of assisted living in New Jersey may include:

• Location. Facilities located in rural areas often cost less than those in luxury destinations or major metropolitan centers.
• Cognitive support services. Some communities offer housing to seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. Unique therapies and additional safety features may add to monthly costs.
• Services and amenities. Additional amenities, like swimming pools, on-site beauty salons, and contracted visiting therapists may raise assisted living bills.
• Occupancy. Shared rooms in assisted living facilities generally cost less per person than private rooms.

Medicare, Medicaid, and other public resources may help offset some of the costs of medical care expenses in an assisted living community for qualified seniors.

Each family has their own unique budget and needs when it comes to assisted living, but planning ahead can help you better understand resources available to your loved one. This is especially true if your aging relative has not yet signed up for Medicare, or if they plan to apply for public assistance programs, which may have application periods or waiting lists.

You’ll find a variety of ways seniors can cover assisted living costs in New Jersey below. For a high-level review of payment resources for seniors, you can read through our complete guide to paying for long-term care.

In New Jersey, assisted living communities are designed to be human-centric. They promote independence, individuality, privacy, dignity, and personal choice offered in homelike facilities or residential buildings.

Two types of facilities are licensed as assisted living in New Jersey. While many licensing requirements are the same between the two, there are several key differences.^[01]

Assisted living residences are apartment-style housing facilities with communal dining areas and are built for four or more adults unrelated to the owners. These communities offer apartment units, which generally include at least one unfurnished room, private bathroom, and a lockable door on the unit entrance.

• Assisted living residences must be categorized as “new builds.” This means they were built specifically for the purpose of assisted living.
• A bathroom with a toilet, bathtub or shower, and sink must be located in each resident unit.
• Private units must have at least 150 square feet of usable space.

Comprehensive personal care homes are communities that provide room and board and ensure that assistance is available when needed. They house four or more adults unrelated to the owner.

• Comprehensive personal care homes can be residential houses or buildings not constructed specifically for use as assisted living facilities.
• They may not meet all structural requirements of assisted living residences, but they still must meet safety standards set forth by the state.

Licensing and inspection requirements for New Jersey assisted living facilities

The New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) regulates and licenses both assisted living residences and comprehensive personal care homes. Both must be licensed, then inspected by the state every 12 months.

The following considerations are made when licensing and regulating assisted living in New Jersey:

• Resident assessments. All residents must be assessed at move-in to determine personal health care needs. However, there are no entry requirements or restrictions, as long as the facility is able to appropriately care for the resident.
• Medication management requirements. Certified nurse aides, home health aides, and staff members who have completed a DOH training and passed a certifying exam can administer medication and some injections under the delegation of a registered nurse.
• Safety standards. Smoke detectors and automatic fire suppression systems are required.
• Occupancy. No more than two people can occupy a shared unit in an assisted living residence.

Staffing requirements for New Jersey assisted living facilities

Staffing requirements may vary by the size of facility, care provided, and number of residents present, but these are the minimum requirements set by the state of New Jersey:^[04]

• All assisted living communities must have an appointed administrator.
• An administrator or a designated alternate must be available on-site at all times in a facility with 60 or more beds, or on-site half the time in a community with fewer than 60 beds.
• At least one awake personal care assistant and one additional employee must be on site 24 hours per day.
• A registered nurse must be available on call 24 hours a day.
• All communities must provide state-approved orientation and education to staff members.
• Personal care assistants and medication aides must undergo additional training, plus annual continuing education.

Understanding New Jersey’s system of regulation and records

We developed a system to rate each state on how easy — or difficult — it is to find important assisted living records and reports, and we compiled tips to help you in your search.

States with the most transparent records allow you to look up important information about each assisted living facility online, including inspections, complaints, survey results, violations, capacity, and whether the facility accepts Medicaid.

Access to New Jersey assisted living records: Exceptional

Public access to assisted living records and reports for the state of New Jersey is exceptional. A key finding that informed this rating is that, while New Jersey has a functional — if inelegant — website for finding assisted living records and histories, the website receives regular updates without very many lulls between updates.

How to look up New Jersey assisted living licenses and records

• Visit New Jersey’s site to Search Licensed Facilities and Services.
• Select the “long term care” facilities spreadsheet link.
• Select preferred search method (for example, name of community) and for care type select “assisted living residences.”
• From the results page, click a providers name to access detailed information including inspections reports and deficiency citations.
• For more recent information about specific communities, contact the office of the long-term care ombudsman to see if he or she can provide information about a community you’re exploring.
• Visit www.eldercare.gov to locate the appropriate long-term-care ombudsman.
• If you need to make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to get records, consider browsing these state by state resources from the National Freedom of Information Coalition, which included sample state-specific FOIA letters.

How we arrived at our New Jersey rating

We developed a standard methodology for state data collection and evaluation, and we based our rating primarily on the objective, state-specific accessibility criteria outlined in these questions:

1. Are licensed assisted living communities listed online in any form? Yes
2. If Yes to #1, is the information updated frequently? Yes
3. If Yes to #1, is the list of licensed communities searchable? Yes
4. Does the state post inspections, complaints, survey results, or violations online? Yes
5. If Yes to #4, is the information updated frequently (within 90 days)? Yes
6. If Yes to #2 and #4, is the enforcement information included in the same place as licensed communities? Yes
7. If Yes to #4 and No to #6, are violations and inspections searchable at all? Yes or not applicable
8. Is information about special licensing for care shown? Yes
9. Is capacity shown? Yes
10. Are payment types shown (e.g., Medicaid, private pay)? Yes
11. Is the administrator/contact name shown? Yes
12. Can the state fine a facility? Yes
13. What is the frequency of inspections? Every 12 months
14. Does the website include pricing of facilities? No