31 of the 96 Medicare-certified nursing homes in South Dakota (32%) are for-profit, and all are listed below. 1 of the 31 graded homes earn an A and 6 earn a D or F. They average 3.33 nursing hours per resident per day, 0.46 hours below the 3.79 for every home in South Dakota. Avantara Lake Norden in Lake Norden grades highest at A (85 out of 100).
How for-profit homes in South Dakota compare
This group set against every nursing home in South Dakota, from the current CMS release.
Nursing hours per resident per day
3.33
All homes in South Dakota: 3.79
Worse than the local average
Nurse staff turnover
51.3%
All homes in South Dakota: 48.2%
Worse than the local average
Average ElderGrade score
65/100
All homes in South Dakota: 71.3/100
Worse than the local average
Grade spread
B
C
D
1 grade A, 8 grade B, 16 grade C, 6 grade D,
The best-graded for-profit home in South Dakota is
Avantara Lake Norden
in Lake Norden, SD, grade A, 85/100.
Avantara Lake Norden runs lean on nursing hours, 3.23 per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends get thinner still, about a tenth below its own weekday coverage. What keeps it from being a bigger concern is consistency: turnover sits at 32.6%, well under the 45.8% national figure, so the aides and nurses you'd meet have mostly stayed put, and a 2025 inspection found no abuse issues. Six deficiencies are on record, two serious enough to involve harm. For-profit ownership under an LLC. The staffing number is really the thing to ask about when you tour, whether it reflects how the place actually runs on a Saturday night.
Prairie Heights runs 3.53 nurse hours per resident each day, roughly 8% under the national average, and weekends drop about 14% below its own weekday staffing. Those gaps explain why CMS gives it the lowest staffing rating even as quality measures score top marks and the last inspection, in July 2025, came back clean: five deficiencies, none causing harm, none tied to abuse. That's a home that treats residents well by the measures families notice most, but it's doing so with thinner coverage than most places, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. Worth asking how call lights get answered when weekend numbers dip.
Faulkton Senior Living runs lean on nursing hours: 2.59 per resident day against a national average of 3.86, roughly a third less hands-on care than typical. Weekends drop about 22% below the home's own weekday staffing, and 57.1% of nursing staff turned over in a year, well above the 45.8% national figure, so the people providing care change often, and there are fewer of them on Saturdays and Sundays.
Inspection history is steadier. Five deficiencies on record, none at harm or jeopardy level, though one is abuse-related, and the most recent inspection was December 11, 2025. A for-profit corporation owns the 41-bed building. Good survey results and quality scores sit alongside thin daily staffing.
Aurora Brule Nursing Home runs about 15% below the national average for nurse staffing, at 3.29 hours per resident day, and weekends drop roughly another 13% below its own weekday levels, so the thinnest coverage lands when families tend to visit. The current record shows 16 deficiencies, including one at the harm or jeopardy level and one tied to abuse, plus a $17,928 fine. A recent inspection closed in July 2025. Quality measures score well, but that staffing number and those deficiencies sit on the other side of the ledger.
Lake Andes Senior Living runs on 3.15 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 18% under the national average of 3.86, and weekend coverage dips about 5% below its own weekday level. Turnover sits at 38.2%, better than the 45.8% national figure, so the staff who are there tend to stay, even if there aren't enough of them.
The inspection record is where the trouble concentrates: 21 deficiencies, three serious enough to put residents at risk of harm, and two fines totaling $102,440. A 1-out-of-5 inspection rating alongside a 4-out-of-5 quality measure score suggests the day-to-day care metrics look fine on paper while the survey history tells a harder story.
Wheatcrest Hills runs a lean nursing floor, 2.69 nurse hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends dip about 10% below its own weekday numbers. That's the kind of gap families notice at 2 a.m., not on a brochure. Turnover sits at 32.4%, meaningfully better than the 45.8% national figure, and the last inspection was recent, December 2025.
The record isn't clean, though. Fourteen deficiencies are logged, three of them serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, with four fines totaling $37,553. No abuse findings appear. Corporate-owned, 60 beds, mid-range marks on health inspections and quality measures, a home with real strengths in retention and none in raw staffing depth.
Alcester Care and Rehab runs 44 certified beds under corporate for-profit ownership, and its recent inspection record is genuinely strong, a five-star health inspection rating with ten deficiencies on file, none of them causing harm or jeopardy and none tied to abuse. The tradeoff shows up in daily staffing: 2.74 nurse hours per resident, roughly 29 percent under the national average of 3.86, with weekends running about 15 percent thinner than weekdays. Turnover sits at 43.3 percent, slightly better than the 45.8 percent national figure. The state survey was just completed in August 2025, so the findings are current. Fewer hands on weekends is the thing to ask about directly.
Fountain Springs runs 90 certified beds in Rapid City under for-profit limited liability ownership, and the nurse staffing numbers sit slightly under the national mark, 3.79 hours per resident day against 3.86. That gap is small, but weekend coverage drops about 11% below weekday levels, and turnover hits 53.7% compared to 45.8% nationally, meaning the faces around a resident change more often than at the typical home.
The inspection record shows 18 deficiencies, including two at the harm or jeopardy level and one tied to abuse, with $22,526 in fines across two penalties. The most recent inspection was December 9, 2025, so the picture is current.
Aberdeen Health and Rehab is a for-profit limited liability company home with 78 certified beds, and its staffing numbers tell two different stories. Nurses provide 3.61 hours per resident day, about 7% under the national average, and weekends run roughly 16% thinner than weekdays, but annual turnover of 38.6% actually beats the national 45.8%, so people tend to stay once hired. The trouble sits elsewhere: a 1-out-of-5 inspection rating, 24 deficiencies on the current record including four at the harm level and two tied to abuse, and $64,270 in fines across four penalties. The most recent inspection was June 4, 2026.
Avantara Mountain View runs 101 certified beds in Rapid City under for-profit LLC ownership, and its nurse staffing sits at 3.61 hours per resident day, roughly 7% under the national average of 3.86. Weekends thin out further, running about 15% below the home's own weekday coverage, so the hours a resident gets on a Saturday look different from a Tuesday. Turnover is 41.4%, a bit better than the 45.8% national figure, which matters because familiar aides tend to notice changes sooner. The inspection record is where the concern concentrates: 21 deficiencies, two at harm or jeopardy level, one abuse-related, and a $9,318 fine. The most recent inspection was January 6, 2026.
Good Samaritan Society Luther Manor runs 92 beds under corporate ownership, and its staffing sits just barely above the national average, 3.94 nurse hours per resident day against 3.86. That thin edge narrows on weekends, when coverage drops roughly 16% below the home's own weekday level. Turnover runs 43.5%, a touch better than the 45.8% national figure. The harder numbers are on inspections: 20 deficiencies on the current record, 5 of them at harm or jeopardy level and one abuse-related, drawing two fines totaling $21,086. The most recent inspection was March 5, 2026. Families weighing this one should ask directly what changed since that survey, particularly around the harm-level findings.
Avantara Groton runs 37 beds under for-profit LLC ownership, and its nurse staffing sits about 4% under the national average, with weekends roughly 12% thinner than weekdays. Turnover is where it looks better than most: 37% against a national 45.8%. The trouble is care quality, CMS scores it 1 out of 5 on quality measures, and the current record carries 22 deficiencies, one serious enough to reach harm or jeopardy level, plus a $6,168 fine. That combination of thin weekend coverage, weak measured outcomes, and a harm-level finding is what pulls the grade down, even though staffing hours and turnover aren't the main problem here.
Dells Nursing and Rehab runs a 50-bed for-profit operation in Dell Rapids with a staffing picture that's thinner than most: 3.00 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 22% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends drop another 10% below its own weekday levels. Turnover sits at 41.5%, a bit better than the national 45.8%, so the people who stay seem to stay. The trouble shows up in the record: 16 deficiencies, including one at the harm or jeopardy level and two tied to abuse, plus three fines totaling $173,010. A 4/5 inspection rating and a December 2025 visit suggest regulators saw improvement lately. Ask about weekend coverage and how those abuse findings were resolved.
Avantara Redfield runs on 3.03 nurse hours per resident day, about 22 percent below the national average, and weekend coverage drops roughly 19 percent below its own weekday levels. Staff turnover sits at 52.1 percent against a national 45.8 percent, so the people providing that already-thin care are cycling out faster than average. The current inspection record shows 17 deficiencies, three at harm or jeopardy level and two tied to abuse, with $23,044 in fines across three events. The most recent inspection was January 28, 2026, so the record is current rather than dated. For-profit, limited liability ownership, and the family should ask directly how weekend shifts are covered before deciding.
Avantara North runs about 3.06 nursing hours per resident per day, roughly a fifth below the national average, and weekends drop further, about 20% under its own weekday baseline, which is when families tend to visit and notice. Staff turnover sits at 35.4%, better than the 45.8% national figure, so the people who are there tend to stay. The current record carries 17 deficiencies, including 2 at the harm or jeopardy level and 3 tied to abuse, with $24,108 in fines across two penalties. The last inspection was February 2026. For-profit, LLC-owned, 68 beds.
Prairie View runs leaner than most. At 3.61 nurse hours per resident day, it sits about 6% under the national average, and weekends drop roughly 11% below its own weekday coverage, so the thinnest shifts land when families tend to visit. The bigger red flag is turnover: 73.1% of staff leaving annually against a national 45.8% means aides and nurses are constantly new, and familiarity is hard to build. Inspections turned up 11 deficiencies, including one at the harm level and one abuse-related, plus an $8,512 fine; the last survey was July 2025. For-profit LLC ownership, 42 beds, staffing and quality star ratings that don't match each other. Worth a visit on a weekend.
Spearfish Canyon Healthcare runs 105 certified beds under for-profit LLC ownership, and the staffing numbers are where your attention should go first. At 3.37 nurse hours per resident day, it sits about 13 percent under the national average, and weekends drop another 13 percent below its own weekday levels, so the coverage gap widens exactly when families tend to visit. Staff turnover of 58.8 percent against a 45.8 percent national figure means caregivers are cycling through steadily, which matters more than any single star rating. The inspection record backs that up: 21 deficiencies, including four tied to abuse and one at the harm level, with a $9,718 fine. The most recent inspection was August 2025, so the record is current, not stale.
Centerville Care and Rehab runs 42 certified beds under corporate ownership, and its nurse staffing sits at 3.31 hours per resident day, roughly 14% under the national average of 3.86. Weekends thin out further, running about 18% below the home's own weekday coverage, which matters when you're thinking about who's on hand on a Saturday night.
The inspection record shows 19 deficiencies, including one at the harm or jeopardy level and two tied to abuse. One fine totaling $55,059 has been levied. Staff turnover comes in at 43.9%, slightly better than the national 45.8%, and the most recent inspection was May 2025. The staffing and quality measure ratings both land at 2 out of 5.
Diamond Care Center runs on thin coverage, 2.44 nurse staffing hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, with weekends dipping about 11% below its own weekdays. CMS gives that staffing a 1 out of 5, and the health inspection record matches: 25 deficiencies, including two at the harm level and one tied to abuse, plus $69,512 in fines. Annual turnover sits at 54.5%, well above the national 45.8%, which makes it harder to hold onto the staff who know these 36 residents. The quality measure star of 4 out of 5 shows some care processes are being tracked well, and the last inspection was September 2025. But staffing and compliance are where families usually feel the difference day to day.
Avantara Pierre runs a 65-bed for-profit home in Hughes County, and the staffing numbers are the first thing to notice: 2.81 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 27% under the national average of 3.86. Weekends thin out further, about 19% below the home's own weekday coverage. Turnover sits at 40.5%, better than the 45.8% national figure, so the people who stay seem to stay. The trouble is the record: 33 deficiencies, three of them at harm or jeopardy level, one tied to abuse, and a $22,048 fine. Inspectors were last in on April 2, 2025.
Frequently asked questions
How many for-profit nursing homes are there in South Dakota?
There are 31 for-profit Medicare-certified nursing homes in South Dakota, 32% of the 96 nursing homes there.
Are for-profit nursing homes better staffed?
In South Dakota they average 3.33 total nursing hours per resident per day, against 3.79 for all nursing homes in South Dakota, a difference of -0.46 hours. Staff turnover averages 51.3% against 48.2%.
Which for-profit nursing home grades best in South Dakota?