Private payor rates vary significantly by market

The average private payor nursing care rate continues to grow at approximately three percent annually and has risen a total 17 percent during the past five years.

In 1Q11, the average rate was $263 per diem across the top 31 metropolitan markets. However, the average payor rates for each of the individual metropolitan markets vary significantly. Kansas City has the lowest per diem rate at $176, while New York has the highest at $366.

There are only five metropolitan markets that have per diem rates below $200, with most of these located in Missouri and Texas. On the other end of the spectrum, there are three markets with per diem rates above $300, with each of those being markets (New York, Boston and San Francisco) with relatively high costs of living. The remaining 22 metropolitan markets have per diem rates ranging between $214 and $290.