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Nursing home safety in California

California has 1,127 Medicare-certified nursing homes. They average 3.18 out of 5 CMS stars (0.20 better than the national average), carry 50.1 health-inspection citations each, and 110 are listed with an abuse icon by CMS in this source snapshot. Federal penalties total $28,345,111. CMS abuse-icon records and a separate star-record sample are named below.

Source: CMS Care Compare — Provider Information released 2026-08-06; source data last modified 2026-07-29. Free to cite with attribution to Haven.

CMS source snapshot: 20 days old. These are historical CMS fields from a dated source release, not live proof of availability, certification status, an inspection outcome, or an individual's care fit.

Nursing homes
1,127
1,116 with a CMS rating
Average rating
3.18 / 5
0.20 better than the national average
Flagged for abuse
110
9.8% of homes · national 9.9%
Federal penalties
$28,345,111
34 on Special Focus

Staffing in California averages 4.52 nurse hours per resident per day (0.63 better than the national average). Citations average 50.1 per home (19.8 worse than the national average)— though citation counts reflect how aggressively a state's survey agency inspects, so they compare poorly across state lines.

California homes listed with a CMS abuse icon

CMS applies this icon when a facility was cited for abuse-related deficiencies on a recent inspection. It is a serious signal, not a verdict — read the specific citations in the linked record and ask the administrator directly.

Special Focus Facilities in California

CMS's own list of homes with a persistent record of poor care. They are inspected about twice as often as other facilities and can be terminated from Medicare and Medicaid if they do not improve.

CMS four- and five-star records in California

Four and five-star homes with no abuse flag and no Special Focus status in this CMS snapshot. The first 10 are shown in neutral name order; these source fields are not a Haven recommendation.

CommunityCityCMS starsNurse hrs/day
A Grace Sub Acute & Skilled Care (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)San Jose45.34579
Acc Care Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)Sacramento55.41979
Advanced Health Care of Sacramento (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)Sacramento56.06475
Alameda County Medical Center D/P SNF (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)San Leandro56.40146
Alcott Rehabilitation Hospital (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)Los Angeles43.8988
Alden Terrace Convalescent Hospital (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)Los Angeles54.02731
Alhambra Hospital Med Ctr Dp/SNF (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)Alhambra47.38925
Alhambra Post Acute (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)Martinez44.32415
All Saint's Subacute & Transitional Care (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)San Leandro46.54272
Almaden Health and Rehabilitation Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)San Jose44.08736

Largest federal penalties in California

Civil monetary penalties follow serious deficiencies. A large fine history is a question to raise, not an automatic disqualification — some homes correct course, and the citations tell you which.

California nursing homes: common questions

How many nursing homes in California have been flagged for abuse?

110 of 1,127 CMS-certified nursing homes in California (9.8%) are listed with the federal abuse icon in the CMS snapshot used for this report. CMS applies the icon when a facility has been cited for abuse-related deficiencies on a recent inspection. The national rate in this same snapshot is 9.9%. Every listed home is named on this page.

What is the average nursing home rating in California?

California nursing homes average 3.18 out of 5 on the CMS overall star rating, across 1,116 rated facilities. The national average is 2.98. Staffing averages 4.52 total nurse hours per resident per day versus 3.89 nationally.

Which nursing homes in California are on the Special Focus list?

34 California facilities are designated a Special Focus Facility or candidate — CMS's list of homes with a persistent record of poor care, which face roughly double the normal inspection frequency and possible termination from Medicare and Medicaid. They are listed by name on this page.

How much have California nursing homes been fined?

Federal civil monetary penalties against California nursing homes total $28,345,111 in the CMS release used for this report. Fines follow serious deficiencies, so a large penalty history is worth asking a facility about directly — they are required to discuss their inspection record with you.

Worried about a specific home in California?

Open a named home's linked CMS record to review the source fields behind this report, then use the assessment and comparison tools to prepare questions, then confirm current price, availability, and care acceptance directly with each home.

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