107 of the 348 Medicare-certified nursing homes in New Jersey (31%) are independently owned, and all are listed below. 50 of the 107 graded homes earn an A and 6 earn a D or F. They average 4.31 nursing hours per resident per day, 0.46 hours above the 3.85 for every home in New Jersey. Parker At Somerset, Inc in Somerset grades highest at A (100 out of 100).
How independently owned homes in New Jersey compare
This group set against every nursing home in New Jersey, from the current CMS release.
Nursing hours per resident per day
4.31
All homes in New Jersey: 3.85
Better than the local average
Nurse staff turnover
37.5%
All homes in New Jersey: 39.7%
Better than the local average
Average ElderGrade score
81.2/100
All homes in New Jersey: 77.7/100
Better than the local average
Grade spread
A
B
C
50 grade A, 41 grade B, 10 grade C, 6 grade D,
The best-graded independently owned home in New Jersey is
Parker At Somerset, Inc
in Somerset, NJ, grade A, 100/100.
Every independently owned nursing home in New Jersey
Atrium Post Acute Care of Wayneview is a 170-bed for-profit in Wayne, and its inspection record is the strongest thing it has going: a four-star health inspection score with 14 deficiencies on file, none at the harm level, though one is abuse-related. The trouble sits elsewhere. Nurse staffing runs 2.98 hours per resident day, roughly 23 percent under the national average, and weekends drop about 14 percent below its own weekday levels. Annual turnover hits 59.1 percent against a national 45.8, meaning more than half the nursing staff leaves each year. Quality measures score 1 out of 5. The beds get checked; the people covering them keep changing.
Belle Care is a 106-bed for-profit home in Trenton that CMS has placed in its Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for the homes with the most persistent compliance problems. The record backs that up: 75 deficiencies, seven of them serious enough to put residents in harm's way, and ten tied to abuse. Nurse staffing sits about 18% under the national average, weekend coverage drops further, and more than half the nursing staff turned over in a year. A four-star quality measure score doesn't offset inspection and staffing ratings of one and two. If you're considering this home, ask hard questions before you sign anything.
Crystal Lake runs 235 beds in Bayville under for-profit LLC ownership, and the staffing numbers are thin: 3.50 nurse hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, with weekends dipping about 8% below its own weekdays. That shortfall matters more given what inspectors have found, 55 deficiencies on record, 10 of them at harm or jeopardy level and 9 abuse-related, plus four CMS fines totaling $418,269. Annual turnover sits at 54.4%, well above the 45.8% national figure, so the people providing care keep changing. CMS has placed the home in its Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for the country's most persistently troubled nursing homes. The most recent inspection was May 8, 2025.
Masonic Village at Burlington runs on a contradiction. The nursing hours are genuinely high, 5.24 per resident day, roughly a third more than the national average, and CMS gives it top marks for staffing. But inspections tell a different story: 14 deficiencies on record, six of them serious enough to endanger residents, three tied to abuse, plus $178,446 in fines and a spot in the federal Special Focus Facility program, which CMS reserves for the worst-performing homes. Turnover sits at 46%, about even with the national rate, and weekend coverage drops roughly 11% below weekday levels. Quality scores look strong at 4 out of 5, but a home with three abuse citations and active federal monitoring has problems that staffing numbers alone don't fix.
Whiting Gardens runs 200 beds, and its recent inspection history is the part that worries me most. Forty deficiencies on the current record, ten of them serious enough to involve actual harm or jeopardy, plus five tied to abuse, that pattern is why CMS has placed it in the Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for the homes with the most persistent problems. Nurse staffing sits at 3.09 hours per resident day, roughly a fifth below the national average, and weekends drop another 11 percent below its own weekdays, so coverage thins exactly when families tend to visit. Turnover at 43.7 percent is slightly better than average, but four fines totaling $235,564 tell you the state has been watching closely.
The Fountains of Atco reports 7.70 nurse hours per resident day, roughly double the national average of 3.86, but that staffing number comes with real caveats. Weekend coverage drops about 10% below weekday levels, and CMS still rates staffing just 2 out of 5, with an inspection record of 1 out of 5 behind it. That record includes 34 deficiencies, two at harm or jeopardy level and two abuse-related, plus $153,458 in fines across two penalties. The quality measure score sits at 4 out of 5, which reflects resident health outcomes rather than the home's compliance history. CMS has placed this for-profit, individually owned 60-bed home in its Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for homes with a persistent pattern of serious problems.
Trenton Gardens is a 215-bed for-profit home in Mercer County, and the number that should stop you is 47 deficiencies on its current record, 7 of them serious enough to put residents in harm's way, 3 tied to abuse. That's why CMS has it in the Special Focus Facility program, the agency's watch list for the homes with the worst sustained records, and why it carries $325,922 in fines. Nurse staffing runs 3.27 hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends drop about 11% below its own weekday levels. Turnover at 36% is actually better than the 45.8% national figure, so the problem isn't retention, it's what's happening on the floor.
Frequently asked questions
How many independently owned nursing homes are there in New Jersey?
There are 107 independently owned Medicare-certified nursing homes in New Jersey, 31% of the 348 nursing homes there.
Are independently owned nursing homes better staffed?
In New Jersey they average 4.31 total nursing hours per resident per day, against 3.85 for all nursing homes in New Jersey, a difference of +0.46 hours. Staff turnover averages 37.5% against 39.7%.
Which independently owned nursing home grades best in New Jersey?