All 8 Medicare-certified nursing homes in Duluth,
side by side on the things that separate them: how many nursing hours each resident gets, how much of the
staff leaves each year, and what inspectors found on their last visit.
Ecumen Lakeshore runs a nonprofit home with 60 certified beds in Duluth, and its staffing is the standout fact: 5.29 nurse hours per resident per day, roughly 37 percent above the national average. Weekend coverage dips about 10 percent below its own weekday level, which is worth asking about if your family visits or calls on Saturdays and Sundays. Staff turnover sits at 46.3 percent, nearly identical to the national 45.8 percent, so continuity of caregivers is average rather than exceptional. On the regulatory side, the record is clean where it counts: two deficiencies total, none at the harm or jeopardy level, none abuse-related, and a health inspection from May 2026.
North Shore Estates runs lean on nurse hours, about 3.15 per resident day against a national average near 3.86, and weekends get thinner still, roughly 10% below its own weekday coverage. What keeps the place from looking worse on paper is retention: 32.1% turnover beats the 45.8% national figure by a wide margin, so the aides and nurses you'd meet have likely been there a while. The trade-off shows up in the inspection record: 24 deficiencies, one tied to abuse, though none rose to actual harm or jeopardy, and the last state visit was in February 2026. Quality measures land middling, which fits a home that's stable but stretched.
Aftenro Home runs lean on nurse staffing at 3.52 hours per resident day, about 9% under the national average, and weekends drop roughly 17% below its own weekday levels, so coverage thins out exactly when families tend to visit. The inspection record is heavy: 24 deficiencies, though none at harm or jeopardy level and none abuse-related, with the most recent inspection dated March 19, 2026. That one-star health inspection and one-star quality measure rating sit alongside a five-star staffing rating, which looks contradictory until you notice turnover at 26.4%, well below the 45.8% national average. Stable, experienced caregivers are a real strength; the state surveyor findings are the concern worth asking about directly.
Viewcrest runs lean on the floor: 3.44 nurse hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends drop another 9% below its own weekday pace. Annual turnover sits at 52.3%, well above the 45.8% norm, which matters because it means the staff you meet in month one may not be there in month six. The inspection record is mixed, a recent survey in August 2025 and no abuse findings, but 24 deficiencies with three at harm or jeopardy level, plus four fines totaling $51,441. Church-affiliated nonprofit ownership doesn't change the arithmetic: fewer hands per resident, a thinner weekend crew, and a turnover rate that outpaces the country.
Franciscan Health Center in Duluth runs on thin margins where it counts. Nurse staffing sits at 3.80 hours per resident day, just under the national average, and weekends drop roughly 14% below what the home manages Monday through Friday, a gap families often feel on Saturday and Sunday shifts. The 46.2% turnover rate tracks almost exactly with the national figure, so continuity of caregivers isn't unusually bad here, just typical. What stands out is the inspection record: 41 deficiencies, including six tied to abuse, though none reached the harm or jeopardy level. The most recent inspection was in late February 2026, so the picture is current. Quality measures score poorly even as staffing scores well, worth asking about directly.
Hilltop runs about 140 beds in Duluth under for-profit partnership ownership, and the numbers worth your attention are the ones a star rating can hide. Nurse staffing comes in around 3.31 hours per resident day, roughly 14 percent under the national average, and weekends drop another 7 percent below its own weekday levels, meaning the thinnest coverage lands exactly when families tend to visit. Annual turnover sits at 50 percent.
The inspection record is where things get serious: 35 deficiencies, three at harm or jeopardy level, three tied to abuse, and $168,221 in fines across three penalties. The most recent inspection was March 12, 2026, so that record is current.
Bayshore Residence and Rehabilitation Center runs 140 beds in Duluth under for-profit LLC ownership, and the staffing numbers tell two stories. Its 3.56 nurse hours per resident day sit about 8% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends drop roughly 12% below the home's own weekday level, so coverage thins exactly when families tend to visit. Turnover hits 58% against a national 45.8%, meaning more than half the nursing staff leaves each year. The inspection record is the harder part: 37 deficiencies, three at harm or jeopardy level, two tied to abuse, and $132,398 in fines, all from an April 2025 inspection. On paper the staffing star looks strong, but the same record shows real problems.
Benedictine Health Center runs 96 certified beds in Duluth under nonprofit, church-related ownership, and its staffing sits at 3.94 nurse hours per resident day, a bit above the national average of 3.86. That margin shrinks on weekends, when coverage drops roughly 13% below its own weekday level. The bigger problem shows up in its record: 19 deficiencies, including two at the harm or jeopardy level and three tied to abuse, with a 1-out-of-5 inspection rating. Annual turnover of 51.8% runs ahead of the 45.8% national figure, so the people providing that above-average care keep changing. Its quality measure score is strong; the inspection history is what pulls it down.