45 of the 72 Medicare-certified nursing homes in North Dakota (63%) are independently owned, and all are listed below. 14 of the 45 graded homes earn an A and 2 earn a D or F. They average 4.65 nursing hours per resident per day, 0.23 hours above the 4.42 for every home in North Dakota. Hatton Prairie Village in Hatton grades highest at A (96 out of 100).
How independently owned homes in North Dakota compare
This group set against every nursing home in North Dakota, from the current CMS release.
Nursing hours per resident per day
4.65
All homes in North Dakota: 4.42
Better than the local average
Nurse staff turnover
47.8%
All homes in North Dakota: 48.8%
Better than the local average
Average ElderGrade score
79.8/100
All homes in North Dakota: 76.8/100
Better than the local average
Grade spread
A
B
C
14 grade A, 24 grade B, 5 grade C, 2 grade D,
The best-graded independently owned home in North Dakota is
Hatton Prairie Village
in Hatton, ND, grade A, 96/100.
Every independently owned nursing home in North Dakota
Griggs County Care Center runs on a nonprofit model with 40 certified beds, and its nurse staffing sits at 4.39 hours per resident day, roughly 14% above the national average. Weekends drop about 16% below its own weekday levels, and turnover runs 48.7% against a national 45.8%, so the coverage is real but not perfectly steady. Inspections in August 2025 turned up five deficiencies, one serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, with none tied to abuse. The quality measure score is soft at 2 out of 5, though the health inspection side holds at 4. That split, strong staffing, weaker clinical measures, is what pulls the overall picture down to a solid but unremarkable middle ground.
St. Luke's Home in Dickinson runs on unusually heavy staffing, 6.30 nurse hours per resident day, well above the national average, and residents still get strong coverage on weekends even though it dips about 15% from weekday levels. That staffing strength shows up in a five-star rating, and its most recent inspection in April 2025 produced no abuse citations. Two things complicate the picture. One of the 11 deficiencies on record rose to the harm level, and quality measures score only 2 out of 5. Staff turnover sits at 53.6%, higher than the national average of 45.8%, meaning the people providing that generous staffing are often new.
Eventide Heartland runs a nonprofit shop in Devils Lake with 78 beds, and the staffing numbers are the strongest part of the picture, 4.28 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 11% above the national average, which is why it earns a 5 out of 5 on CMS's staffing measure. Two things complicate that: weekend coverage drops about 9% below its own weekday levels, and annual turnover sits at 52.9%, higher than the 45.8% national figure, so the people providing those hours keep changing. The current inspection record shows 23 deficiencies, one of them abuse-related, though none rose to harm or jeopardy. State inspectors last visited in May 2026.
Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd runs a 51-bed nonprofit operation in New Rockford, and the staffing numbers are the strongest thing it has going: 4.47 nurse hours per resident day, comfortably ahead of the national average. But weekend coverage drops about 16% below its own weekday level, and annual turnover of 52.5% sits well above the national figure, meaning the people providing that care cycle through quickly.
The health inspection record is where the picture darkens: nine deficiencies on file, three of them at harm or jeopardy level, one abuse-related, and $31,829 in fines across three penalties. A recent August 2025 inspection is encouraging, but the harm-level findings matter more than the timing.
Lutheran Sunset Home runs on church-affiliated nonprofit ownership in Grafton, and its nurse staffing sits at 4.04 hours per resident day, about 5% above the national average, with a 5/5 staffing star to match. Weekend coverage drops roughly 16% below weekday levels, so ask how that plays out on Saturdays. Staff turnover is 32.6%, well under the national 45.8%, which matters for continuity of care. The trouble is quality and inspections: 20 deficiencies on record, including one at harm level and three abuse-related, plus a $11,057 fine, with the most recent inspection in February 2026. The people caring for residents seem stable; the systems around them have fallen short.
Missouri Slope runs a nonprofit home of 192 beds in Bismarck, and its nurse staffing is the standout fact here: 5.45 hours per resident day, roughly 41% above the national average of 3.86. That's real coverage, not a rounding trick, though weekends drop about 16% below the home's own weekday level, and annual turnover of 52.2% sits above the national 45.8%. Inspections tell a more complicated story: 20 deficiencies on the current record, two of them at harm or jeopardy level and one abuse-related, plus two fines totaling $39,404. The most recent inspection was May 2026. Strong hours, but the harm-level findings and turnover are worth asking about directly.
St. Gerard's runs on unusually strong staffing for a 34-bed home, 4.67 nurse hours per resident day, about a fifth more than the national average, with turnover at 34% against a national 46%. That's the good news, and it's real. The problem sits in the inspection record: ten deficiencies on file, two of them serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, four tied to abuse, and a $48,233 fine. Weekend coverage also drops roughly 14% below weekday levels. The most recent inspection was July 2025, so the findings are current, not stale. Strong hands on deck, but a troubled survey history behind them.
Mountrail Bethel Home runs on a church-affiliated nonprofit model with 36 beds in Stanley, and its nurse staffing sits at 4.67 hours per resident day, roughly 21% above the national average. That's the strongest part of the picture. Weekends dip about 17% below the home's own weekday coverage, though, and turnover lands at 48.3%, a bit above the national 45.8%. The inspection record shows 26 deficiencies, none at harm or jeopardy level, but two tied to abuse. Federal quality measures score 1 out of 5, while staffing earns 5 out of 5, a split worth asking about directly, since the two don't usually diverge this sharply.
Marian Manor runs a nonprofit shop with 54 beds in Glen Ullin, and the staffing hours look decent on paper, about 4.11 per resident day, roughly 6% above the national average. But weekends dip about 14% below its own weekday coverage, and turnover sits at 57.8% against a national 45.8%, so the people giving that care keep changing.
The inspection record is where it gets harder to explain away: 15 deficiencies, two at harm or jeopardy level, one tied to abuse, and a $22,835 fine. The last inspection was June 2026, so this isn't stale history. Quality measures score well, but the survey findings and the churn behind them are what pull the overall picture down.
Eventide Jamestown runs a nonprofit home with 79 certified beds, and its nurse staffing sits at 4.16 hours per resident day, about 8% above the national average. That's the strongest part of the picture, and it's why staffing earns 4 stars. But the same numbers show weekend coverage dropping roughly 8% below weekday levels, and annual turnover of 52.6% is higher than the 45.8% national average, so consistent hands aren't guaranteed. The inspection record shows 16 deficiencies, 2 of them at harm or jeopardy level, with the most recent inspection in May 2025. Quality measures come in at 2 stars, which is where the home looks weakest.
Bethany On 42Nd runs a tight ship on the clinical side. Its most recent inspection was in May 2025 and it holds a five-star health inspection rating, with eleven deficiencies on record and none at the harm or jeopardy level. Nurse staffing sits at 5.19 hours per resident day, roughly 35% above the national average, which is genuinely high. The caveats matter though: one deficiency was abuse-related, staff turnover is 59% against a national average of 45.8%, and weekend coverage drops about 8% below weekday levels. Quality measures land at three stars, middling. Strong inspection history and generous staffing, but the abuse finding and churn are worth asking about directly.
Knife River Care Center runs on a paradox: the raw staffing number is genuinely strong, 4.91 nurse hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and that's what earns it the top marks from CMS on staffing. But look at what's happened around that number. Turnover sits at 54.5%, well above the national 45.8%, meaning the aides and nurses in the building are cycling through frequently. Weekend staffing drops about 16% below weekday levels, so the coverage families see on a Tuesday isn't what shows up on a Saturday. And the inspection record is the real concern: 22 deficiencies, including two at harm or jeopardy level and three tied to abuse, plus a $35,890 fine. Strong hours, unstable workforce, and a troubling compliance history.
Pembilier Nursing Center runs 31 certified beds in Walhalla under nonprofit corporate ownership, and its inspection record is the strongest part of the picture: a four-out-of-five health inspection rating and a survey completed in April 2026. Nine deficiencies sit on the current record, one serious enough to reach harm or jeopardy level, though none involve abuse. Staffing tells a more mixed story. At 3.77 nurse hours per resident day, the home sits just under the national average of 3.86, and weekend coverage drops roughly 16% below its own weekday staffing. Annual turnover of 46.9% edges past the national 45.8%. Small homes can absorb some of this, but thin weekend coverage is worth asking about directly.
Wishek Living Center runs on a nonprofit model with 43 certified beds, and its nurse staffing sits well above the national average. The tradeoff shows up in turnover: just over half the nursing staff leaves each year, notably higher than the national figure. Inspections in May 2025 turned up six deficiencies, two serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, drawing two fines totaling $26,272. The quality measure score is weak, which is worth asking about directly.
Aneta Parkview runs 35 beds as a nonprofit, and its last state inspection came back clean enough for a top federal rating, four deficiencies on record, none causing harm or tied to abuse. Staffing is a different story. At 3.84 nurse hours per resident day, it sits just under the national average, but weekends drop roughly 20% below its own weekday coverage, and 57.5% annual turnover is well above the 45.8% national figure. That churn matters more in a small rural home, where replacing a nurse takes longer. Quality measures land mid-range. Solid care when inspectors look, thinner coverage when they don't.
Bethel Lutheran runs a strong staffing operation on paper, 4.81 nurse hours per resident day, roughly a quarter above the national average, which helps explain its four-star staffing rating. But that margin thins on weekends, when coverage drops about 18% below the home's own weekday level, and the workforce itself is churning: 63% annual turnover against a national average near 46%. The inspection record is the bigger concern. Twenty-five deficiencies, including two at the harm or jeopardy level and four tied to abuse, with the most recent inspection in April 2026. Federal inspectors rated the health inspection side 2 out of 5. Plenty of hands on deck most weekdays, just not always the same hands, and not always enough of them.
Trinity Homes runs on 4.24 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 10% above the national average, and weekends dip only slightly from weekdays, the kind of staffing pattern that usually shows up in the 4/5 staffing rating. The trouble sits elsewhere. Inspectors have cited 34 deficiencies, six of them at the level where a resident was actually harmed or put in jeopardy, and five tied to abuse. Three fines total $75,611. Staff turnover is 57.3% against a national 45.8%, so a lot of that good coverage is delivered by people still learning the building. The state last inspected in August 2025, and the health inspection rating sits at 1 out of 5. Good staffing can't outweigh what those inspections found.
Tioga Medical Center's long-term care unit runs on unusually thin margins of people, not hours. The raw staffing number looks generous, 5.95 nurse hours per resident day against a national average around 3.86, but that figure masks a workforce cycling out fast enough to matter: 65.5% annual turnover, well above the 45.8% national rate. Weekend coverage drops roughly 11% below weekday levels, and the quality measure score sits at 1 out of 5 stars despite the 4-star staffing rating. Sixteen deficiencies are on the current record, including one at the harm level and two tied to abuse, with a single $11,408 fine. The last inspection was March 2025. A nonprofit with 30 beds can be a close-knit place; this one's numbers suggest watching staff consistency closely.
Four Seasons Health Care in Forman runs 25 beds under nonprofit ownership, and its last inspection on February 19, 2026 turned up 29 deficiencies, two of them serious enough to cause harm or put residents in immediate jeopardy, plus one tied to abuse. The staffing picture is thin even by rural North Dakota standards, and three fines totaling $115,484 have accumulated on the current record. What keeps the quality measure rating afloat is clinical performance on paper, things like hospitalization and medication metrics, but strong outcomes data can't offset a building where the hands-on care and the oversight have both raised red flags. If you're considering this one, ask directly what changed after February.
Western Horizons Care Center has 31 certified beds and runs on 4.75 nurse staffing hours per resident day, about 23% above the national average of 3.86, a real point in its favor, though weekend coverage drops roughly 15% below its own weekday level. The staffing star rating sits at 3/5, but the clinical and inspection record is where things get serious: 35 deficiencies on the current record, including 5 at the harm or jeopardy level and 3 abuse-related, plus three CMS fines totaling $62,703. The most recent inspection was September 4, 2025. It's a nonprofit corporation, and the quality measure rating comes in at 1/5. Stronger-than-average staffing is not offsetting the harm-level findings and fine history here.
Frequently asked questions
How many independently owned nursing homes are there in North Dakota?
There are 45 independently owned Medicare-certified nursing homes in North Dakota, 63% of the 72 nursing homes there.
Are independently owned nursing homes better staffed?
In North Dakota they average 4.65 total nursing hours per resident per day, against 4.42 for all nursing homes in North Dakota, a difference of +0.23 hours. Staff turnover averages 47.8% against 48.8%.
Which independently owned nursing home grades best in North Dakota?