166 of the 388 Medicare-certified nursing homes in Iowa (43%) are independently owned, and all are listed below. 66 of the 166 graded homes earn an A and 4 earn a D or F. They average 4.09 nursing hours per resident per day, 0.27 hours above the 3.82 for every home in Iowa. Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown grades highest at A (99 out of 100).
How independently owned homes in Iowa compare
This group set against every nursing home in Iowa, from the current CMS release.
Nursing hours per resident per day
4.09
All homes in Iowa: 3.82
Better than the local average
Nurse staff turnover
41.2%
All homes in Iowa: 44.1%
Better than the local average
Average ElderGrade score
81.4/100
All homes in Iowa: 77.9/100
Better than the local average
Grade spread
A
B
C
66 grade A, 81 grade B, 15 grade C, 4 grade D,
The best-graded independently owned home in Iowa is
Iowa Veterans Home
in Marshalltown, IA, grade A, 99/100.
Oakview runs 3.64 nurse hours per resident day, about 6% under the national average, and weekend coverage drops roughly 17% below its own weekday level, so the hours are thinnest exactly when families tend to visit. Staff turnover sits at 54.4% against a national 45.8%, which means more than half the nursing staff left within a year, and constant replacement is hard on residents who rely on familiar faces. The current record carries 17 deficiencies, including one at the harm or jeopardy level and one abuse-related. Inspectors were last in on June 23, 2025. Corporate-owned, 60 beds.
Solon Nursing Care Center sits in Johnson County with 96 certified beds and a for-profit corporate owner. The inspection record is genuinely strong, nine deficiencies on file, just one at the harm level, nothing abuse-related, and a survey as recent as July 2025. Staffing runs slightly under the national average at 3.83 nurse hours per resident day, and weekends dip about 10% below the home's own weekday coverage. Turnover is the real pressure point: 55.3% annually against a 45.8% national figure, which matters more when a building is already lean on hours. Quality measures land at 2 out of 5 stars, a low mark that inspection results alone don't explain.
Accura Healthcare of South Des Moines runs 89 beds under limited liability ownership, and its staffing numbers look decent on paper, 3.93 nurse hours per resident day, a hair above the national average, though weekends drop about 13% below its own weekday coverage. The trouble sits elsewhere: 67 deficiencies on the current record, including four at the harm or jeopardy level and seven tied to abuse, with two fines totaling $52,632. Staff turnover runs 47.6%, higher than the national average, and the health inspection rating sits at 1 out of 5. The most recent inspection was July 2025, so the record is current, not stale. Good weekday staffing alone doesn't offset that inspection history.
Winslow House runs on 3.06 nurse staffing hours per resident day, roughly a fifth below the national average of 3.86, and weekends drop about 18% under its own weekday level, so the thinnest coverage lands when families tend to visit. Its inspection record shows 16 deficiencies, two serious enough to reach harm or jeopardy, plus two fines totaling $18,360; the last inspection was September 2025. Quality measures score well at 4/5, but that reflects charted care, not the hands available. This nonprofit has real strengths and real gaps, and the staffing pattern is the one worth asking about directly.
The Highlands sits in Decorah with 86 certified beds and a nonprofit owner, and the numbers cut two ways. Nurse staffing runs 3.90 hours per resident day, just barely above the national average of 3.86, though weekends dip about 8% below its own weekday level. The bigger concerns show up in the inspection record: 34 deficiencies, four at the harm or jeopardy level, one tied to abuse, and $93,839 in fines across two penalties, with the most recent inspection in June 2025. Staff turnover of 53.3% lands well above the 45.8% national average, which matters for consistency of care. A 4/5 staffing star softens the picture, but the health inspection rating of 2/5 tells you where the trouble lives.
Pillar of Cedar Valley runs a lean nursing floor: 2.92 nurse hours per resident day against a national average near 3.86, and weekends drop roughly 15% below what the home already provides on weekdays. That staffing pattern is worth asking about directly, since it shapes how quickly call lights get answered on a Saturday.
The inspection record shows 23 deficiencies, three tied to abuse, though none reached the harm or jeopardy level as CMS defines it. Staff turnover sits at 32.7%, better than the 45.8% national figure, which suggests the people who are there tend to stay. The most recent state inspection was November 17, 2025. This is a nonprofit corporation with 114 certified beds.
Ams Memorial-Greene runs 31 certified beds in Butler County under for-profit limited liability ownership, and the federal data on its care side is thin. Its staffing score sits at 1 out of 5, meaning nurse coverage falls well short of what CMS expects for the residents living there. Inspectors cited 16 deficiencies on the current record, two of them abuse-related, though none rose to the harm or jeopardy level. The last full inspection was February 2022, so that record is now several years old, a gap worth asking about directly.
Wheatland Manor runs about 3.40 nurse staffing hours per resident day, roughly 12 percent under the national average, and weekend coverage dips another 12 percent below its own weekday levels. That thin margin matters more when turnover sits at 69 percent, well above the 45.8 percent national figure, because replacements are constantly learning the building. Inspections are a genuine strength: a 4-star health inspection rating and a recent survey in January 2026. But seven deficiencies are on record, two of them serious enough to reach harm or jeopardy, and one fine totaling $19,338 has been levied. The care basics look passable; keeping consistent hands on deck is the open question.
Sanford Senior Care Sheldon runs 3.43 nursing hours per resident per day, roughly 11 percent under the national average, and weekends drop another 11 percent below its own weekday level. That thinner coverage adds up when you consider turnover: 58.9 percent of staff left over the past year, well above the 45.8 percent national rate. The inspection record is the harder part. Twenty deficiencies are on file, four of them serious enough to put residents at harm or jeopardy, including one tied to abuse. The last inspection was November 2025, so the picture is current, and a $11,872 fine is attached. This is a nonprofit home with 70 beds, and the numbers show a building struggling with both care quality and keeping people.
On With Life Long Term Care is small, 40 certified beds run by a nonprofit corporation, and its inspection record is genuinely strong: a five-star health inspection rating, seven total deficiencies, and none of them at the harm or jeopardy level or tied to abuse. That's the part families worry about most, and it's clean. The weaker signal sits in the quality measures, where it rates two stars, so the day-to-day clinical outcomes the federal data tracks don't look as good as the survey history. The most recent inspection was December 31, 2025, so the picture is current. A small nonprofit with a spotless harm record is worth a visit; ask specifically about the quality measures before deciding.
Estherville Community Care Center runs 46 certified beds under corporate, for-profit ownership, and its nurse staffing sits at 3.38 hours per resident day, roughly 13% under the national average of 3.86. Weekend coverage drops about 16% below the home's own weekday level, a gap that matters when a resident needs help on a Saturday. The current inspection record carries 22 deficiencies, including one at the harm or jeopardy level and four flagged as abuse-related; the last inspection was September 25, 2025. Staff turnover is 46.2%, essentially matching the national 45.8%, so retention here isn't the outlier, the inspection findings and weekend thinness are what stand out.
Accura Healthcare of Carlisle runs 80 beds under for-profit LLC ownership, and the staffing numbers are where I'd start. At 3.11 nurse hours per resident day, it sits about 19% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends drop roughly 7% below its own weekday coverage. Turnover runs 52.1% against a national 45.8%, so the faces around your relative change often.
The inspection record is heavier than that staffing gap suggests: 46 deficiencies on file, three at harm or jeopardy level, two tied to abuse, plus a $37,177 fine. The most recent inspection was July 2025, so it's current. Ask about weekend coverage and the abuse-related findings specifically before you decide.
Caring Acres runs 41 beds in Anita under for-profit LLC ownership, and the numbers split sharply depending on where you look. Nurse staffing sits at 3.60 hours per resident day, about 7% under the national average, with weekend coverage roughly 9% thinner than weekdays, and annual turnover of 73.3% against a national 45.8% means most of the people caring for residents are new to the building. The current record carries 53 deficiencies, including 7 at harm or jeopardy level and 11 tied to abuse; CMS has placed the home in its Special Focus Facility program and fined it $73,488 across two penalties. The most recent inspection was February 12, 2026.
Tabor Manor Care Center runs 46 beds under corporate ownership, and the numbers worth knowing are on the inspection side. The current record carries 59 deficiencies, including one at the harm or jeopardy level and five tied to abuse, a heavy load for a home this size, and the federal inspection rating sits at 1 out of 5. Staffing lands slightly under the national average at 3.76 hours per resident day, and weekends run about 15% thinner than weekdays. Annual turnover of 60.4% is well above the 45.8% national figure, meaning familiar faces are hard to count on. Four fines totaling $17,996 round out the record, with the most recent inspection dated March 2026.
Mississippi Valley runs 5.67 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 47% above the national average of 3.86, and its 36.8% turnover sits below the national 45.8%. Those are real strengths. The rest of the record is harder to read. State inspectors cited 25 deficiencies, four of them at harm or jeopardy level and two tied to abuse, with $19,663 in fines across two penalties. Quality measures score 2 out of 5, and weekends run about 21% thinner than weekdays, so the staffing cushion doesn't hold steady across the week. The last inspection was April 2025. A for-profit LLC operates the 83-bed home. Strong hours, but a deficiency record that includes harm and abuse findings is what families should weigh hardest.
Perry Lutheran Homes Eden Acres sits in Dallas County with 57 certified beds and a for-profit LLC owner. The staffing picture is mixed: 3.43 nurse hours per resident day lands about 11% under the national average, and weekends run roughly 15% lighter than weekdays, but turnover at 36.2% beats the national 45.8%, a sign this home can hold onto aides better than most. What stands out is the inspection record: six deficiencies, two at harm or jeopardy level and two tied to abuse, plus a $9,110 fine, with the most recent inspection in June 2025. Those harm-level and abuse findings are the kind regulators treat seriously, and they're the real weight on this home's record.
St. Anthony Senior Services runs 79 certified beds as a church-affiliated nonprofit in Carroll, and its nurse staffing sits at 3.87 hours per resident day, essentially level with the national average of 3.86, though weekends run about 8% leaner than weekdays. The real concern is the inspection record: 19 deficiencies, three of them serious enough to put residents at harm or jeopardy, including one abuse-related finding, and a $12,038 fine. A recent inspection in February 2026 means the record is current, not stale. Quality measures score well, but strong clinical numbers don't offset a pattern of serious health and safety findings.
Oskaloosa Care Center runs 83 certified beds under corporate for-profit ownership, and the numbers raise real questions. Nurse staffing sits at 3.66 hours per resident day, about 5% under the national average, and weekends drop roughly another 10% below the home's own weekday levels, so the thinnest coverage lands when families tend to visit. Staff turnover is 62.6% against a national average of 45.8%, meaning most of the people caring for residents are relatively new to the building. The inspection record shows 30 deficiencies, including two at the harm or jeopardy level and three tied to abuse, plus a $45,354 fine. The most recent inspection was June 19, 2025.
Grandview Healthcare Center is a 40-bed for-profit home in Dayton, and the numbers that stand out most are its staffing and quality measure ratings, both at 1 out of 5 stars. Staff turnover runs at 52 percent a year, meaning more than half the workforce turns over annually, compared with a national average closer to 46 percent. The inspection record shows 12 deficiencies, one of them serious enough to reach the harm or jeopardy level, and a single fine of $33,598. The last inspection was in December 2025. A 40-bed home with that much turnover and a harm-level deficiency is worth asking hard questions about before you decide.
Ridgecrest Village runs 137 certified beds in Davenport as a nonprofit, and the numbers worth knowing sit in its staffing and inspection record. Nurse staffing comes in at 3.69 hours per resident day, roughly 5% under the national average, and weekends drop about 7% below what the home staffs on weekdays. Annual turnover is 97.4%, more than double the national figure of 45.8%, meaning the aides and nurses around your family member likely change often. The current record carries 41 deficiencies, three at harm or jeopardy level and two tied to abuse, along with three fines totaling $118,886. The most recent inspection was October 2025, and the health inspection rating sits at 1 out of 5.
Frequently asked questions
How many independently owned nursing homes are there in Iowa?
There are 166 independently owned Medicare-certified nursing homes in Iowa, 43% of the 388 nursing homes there.
Are independently owned nursing homes better staffed?
In Iowa they average 4.09 total nursing hours per resident per day, against 3.82 for all nursing homes in Iowa, a difference of +0.27 hours. Staff turnover averages 41.2% against 44.1%.
Which independently owned nursing home grades best in Iowa?