14 of the 36 Medicare-certified nursing homes in Wyoming (39%) are government-run, and all are listed below. They average 4.5 nursing hours per resident per day, 0.63 hours above the 3.87 for every home in Wyoming. Nurse staff turnover runs 50.7%, 1.1 points lower than the 51.8% across all homes there. St John's Health Sage Living in Jackson grades highest at A (96 out of 100).
How government-run homes in Wyoming compare
This group set against every nursing home in Wyoming, from the current CMS release.
St. John's Health Sage Living runs 60 beds under hospital-district ownership, which tends to mean steadier budgets than a for-profit chain can offer. Its nurse staffing sits at 3.97 hours per resident day, just above the national average of 3.86, though weekends dip about 14% below its own weekday coverage, a gap worth asking about if your family member needs more hands-on help on Saturdays and Sundays. Staff turnover is 32%, well under the national 45.8%, so the people caring for residents tend to stick around. Five deficiencies appear on the current record, none at the harm level, one abuse-related. The last inspection was May 2025.
Amie Holt Care Center runs on a government hospital-district model in Buffalo, and the staffing numbers show it: 4.97 nurse hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86. Weekend coverage dips about 16% below its own weekday level, which is worth asking about if your family visits mainly on Saturdays and Sundays. Staff turnover sits at 40.8%, better than the 45.8% national figure but still meaning roughly two in five caregivers leaving each year. Seven deficiencies on record, none at harm or jeopardy level and none abuse-related, with the most recent inspection in April 2025.
Star Valley Care Center is a 24-bed hospital-district home in Afton, and its staffing numbers are the first thing worth knowing: 6.08 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 57 percent above the national average of 3.86. Weekend coverage drops about 19 percent below its own weekday level, which is common but still the gap to watch in a small building. On inspections, the record is clean, four deficiencies total, none at the harm or jeopardy level, none abuse-related, and the most recent inspection was in February 2026. Quality measures sit in the middle of the pack, so the stronger story here is consistent hands-on care and a well-kept survey record.
Heritage Home sits in Pinedale as a hospital-district operation with 50 certified beds, and the staffing numbers look solid on paper: 4.25 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 10% above the national average. The catch is that weekends run about 15% lighter than weekdays, and the entire nursing staff turns over every year, 100%, against a national average near 46%. That churn matters because 11 deficiencies sit on the current record, including one at the harm level and three tied to abuse, with a single fine of $9,718. Quality measures score well and the last inspection was recent, in June 2025, but steady staffing is what actually holds a building together.
Morning Star Care Center runs on federal money, it's a government-owned home on the Wind River Reservation with 45 certified beds. Nurse staffing sits at 5.23 hours per resident day, roughly 35% above the national average, though weekends drop about 24% below its own weekday level, so coverage isn't perfectly even. The tradeoff shows up elsewhere: 16 deficiencies on the current record, two tied to abuse, and one fine of $5,168, with the last inspection in April 2025. Quality measures score low even as staffing scores high, which is the tension here, plenty of nursing hours, but outcomes and compliance haven't kept pace.
South Lincoln Nursing Center runs on unusually heavy staffing for a 24-bed home, 4.80 nurse hours per resident day, about a quarter above the national average, which is why it earns top marks on that measure alone. The catch is consistency: weekends run roughly a fifth thinner than weekdays, so the coverage your family member gets depends on the calendar. Turnover at 38.1% beats the national 45.8%, though more than a third of staff still left in a year. Inspections are the weak spot, 24 deficiencies on record, four tied to abuse, none rising to actual harm, and a survey as recent as July 2025. Hospital-district ownership means public accountability rather than a chain.
Cody Regional Health Long Term Care Center runs on a hospital district's budget and holds a 4-star health inspection rating from CMS, with its most recent survey in April 2026 and no deficiencies at the harm or jeopardy level. The catch is staffing stability: 57.9% annual turnover against a national average of 45.8%, and weekend coverage that drops roughly 15% below what the home staffs on weekdays. Total nurse hours sit at 3.91 per resident day, barely above the national 3.86. Thirteen deficiencies are on record, one tied to abuse. The quality measure score of 2 stars suggests clinical outcomes aren't keeping pace with the inspection findings.
Weston County Health Services runs 58 certified beds as a nonprofit, and its 3.81 nurse staffing hours per resident day sit just under the national average of 3.86, close enough that the bigger concern is the weekend drop, when coverage runs about 9% below its own weekday level. Turnover is the sharper problem: 58.9% of staff leaving annually against a national 45.8% means caregivers are cycling through, which matters more in a small rural home where replacements aren't easy to find. The inspection record shows 18 deficiencies, including one at the harm level and four tied to abuse, with the most recent survey in July 2024.
New Horizons Care Center is a hospital-district home in Lovell, and its strongest number isn't obvious at first glance. Nurse staffing sits at 3.60 hours per resident day, about 7% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends run roughly 11% thinner than weekdays, so coverage does dip. What offsets that is stability: turnover is 33.9%, well below the national 45.8%, meaning the people showing up are more likely to already know the residents. Inspections are recent, from January 2025, and the record shows 12 deficiencies, including one at the harm level and two tied to abuse, with a single $7,521 fine. Read those together and you get a home that's steady on staff but has had real problems worth asking about directly.
Powell Valley Care Center runs on a hospital-district model, and the staffing reflects it: 5.08 nurse hours per resident day, roughly a third more than the national average, with turnover at 24.2% against a national 45.8%. That consistency matters, though weekend coverage dips about 8% below weekdays. The trouble sits elsewhere. Two of the six deficiencies on record are serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, and two are abuse-related, which is why the health inspection rating lands at 2 out of 5. Quality measures score 1 out of 5. Two fines totaling $29,120, and the last inspection was January 31, 2025. Staffing is the strength; the care record is the concern.
Mountain View is state-run, which is unusual, most Wyoming homes aren't, and that ownership shows up in a mixed record. The inspection side is where the trouble sits: 21 deficiencies on the current record, six of them at harm or jeopardy level, and six tied to abuse. One fine of $50,980 has been levied. That's a lot of serious findings for a 40-bed home, and it explains the two-star inspection rating. The quality measures look better at four stars, so resident care metrics aren't the weak spot. The last inspection was January 2025, so the record is recent. If you're considering this one, ask directly what changed after those harm-level findings, that's the question that matters here, not the quality score.
The state-run veterans' home in Buffalo is unusually well staffed, 7.88 nurse hours per resident day, roughly double the national average of 3.86, and weekends only dip about 14% below its own weekday level, which is modest for a nursing home. That helps explain the four-out-of-five staffing rating. The trouble is on the inspection side: 16 deficiencies on the current record, including one at the harm level and two abuse-related, and the health inspection rating sits at two out of five. The most recent survey was in January 2026. Strong staffing hasn't translated into a clean regulatory record here, and the abuse citations are the kind of thing families should ask about directly.
The Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center is run by the local hospital district and has 160 certified beds. Nurse staffing runs 4.59 hours per resident day, about 19% above the national average, though weekends drop roughly 15% below its own weekday level. The numbers that matter more are elsewhere: 38 deficiencies on the current record, 8 of them at harm or jeopardy level, 11 abuse-related, and $115,597 in CMS fines across four events. Annual turnover is 70.5% against a national 45.8%, meaning most of the staff caring for residents last year are gone. CMS has placed it in the Special Focus Facility program, its most serious watch list. The last inspection was March 13, 2026.
The staffing number at Wyoming Retirement Center is the one to sit with: 0.39 total nurse hours per resident per day, roughly a tenth of the national average of 3.86. Weekends run about 45% thinner than weekdays already are, so certain shifts have very little licensed coverage in a 90-bed building. On the state's watch, its current record shows 18 deficiencies, six of them at harm or jeopardy level and seven tied to abuse, with two fines totaling $41,201 and an inspection from December 2024. State-run ownership doesn't change what those numbers mean for a resident who needs help at 2 a.m.
Frequently asked questions
How many government-run nursing homes are there in Wyoming?
There are 14 government-run Medicare-certified nursing homes in Wyoming, 39% of the 36 nursing homes there.
Are government-run nursing homes better staffed?
In Wyoming they average 4.5 total nursing hours per resident per day, against 3.87 for all nursing homes in Wyoming, a difference of +0.63 hours. Staff turnover averages 50.7% against 51.8%.
Which government-run nursing home grades best in Wyoming?