27 of the 72 Medicare-certified nursing homes in North Dakota (38%) are chain-owned, and all are listed below. They average 4.05 nursing hours per resident per day, 0.37 hours below the 4.42 for every home in North Dakota. Nurse staff turnover runs 50.2%, 1.4 points higher than the 48.8% across all homes there. Fargo Elim Health Care Center in Fargo grades highest at A (96 out of 100).
How chain-owned homes in North Dakota compare
This group set against every nursing home in North Dakota, from the current CMS release.
Nurse staffing at Fargo Elim runs 5.12 hours per resident day, about a third more than the national average, and the low 35% turnover means the people providing that care tend to stick around. Weekends drop roughly 12% below weekday coverage, so ask how that gap gets filled. The tradeoff shows up in inspections: a 2-out-of-5 health inspection rating with 14 deficiencies on record, one serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy. No abuse citations, and the most recent inspection was April 2026, so the picture is current. Strong staffing and quality measures sit alongside a rougher regulatory history, worth asking the administrator directly what that harm-level deficiency was and what changed after it.
St. Catherine North is church-run and nonprofit, which tends to show up in how it treats staff, and it does here. Nurse staffing runs about 5.03 hours per resident day, roughly 30% above the national average, and turnover sits at 31.3% against a national 45.8%. Both numbers say people tend to stay. Weekends dip about 11% below the home's own weekday level, so ask how that plays out on a Sunday.
The inspection record is more mixed: 12 deficiencies, including one at the harm level and one abuse-related, plus a single fine of $6,168. The last inspection was in February 2026, so the picture is current. Strong staffing, decent but not spotless oversight.
Good Samaritan Society Augusta Place runs a tight ship on staffing. Nurses give residents 4.43 hours of care per day, about 15 percent more than the national average, and only 22.4 percent of staff left last year, roughly half the national turnover rate. That combination of low turnover and high hours is rare, and it's the main reason this home rates as well as it does. The tradeoffs show up elsewhere: 13 deficiencies on the current record, two of them serious enough to put residents at risk of harm, plus $16,036 in fines. Weekend staffing also drops about 12 percent below weekday levels. Inspectors last visited in February 2026, so the record is recent.
St Gabriel's runs on a nurse staffing level of 4.27 hours per resident day, roughly 11% above the national average, and that shows up in its five-star staffing rating. Turnover sits at 27.9% against a national average near 46%, which matters more than most families realize, fewer unfamiliar faces means care that stays consistent. The trade-off is on the quality side: a two-star rating on CMS quality measures, and 13 deficiencies on record. None of those reached harm or jeopardy level, and none were abuse-related, so the inspection history is clean where it counts. Weekend staffing drops about 11% below its own weekday coverage, worth asking about if you're planning visits or admissions around Saturdays and Sundays.
Sanford Hillsboro runs a tight ship on staffing, with 4.52 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 17% above the national average, and a 38.6% turnover rate that beats the national figure of 45.8%. That consistency matters for a 34-bed home where residents see the same faces. But the inspection record tells a different story: 10 deficiencies on file, two serious enough to reach harm or jeopardy level, and $42,488 in fines across two penalties. The health inspection rating sits at 2 out of 5, even though quality measures score 4 and staffing scores 5. The most recent survey was June 26, 2025. The care may be well-staffed, but the state has found real problems worth asking about directly.
St Catherine South runs on a nonprofit model in Fargo with 98 certified beds, and the staffing numbers stand out: 5.36 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 39% above the national average, with a 5-star staffing rating to match. Weekend coverage dips about 11% below weekday levels, which is common but worth knowing if you're visiting on a Saturday. Turnover sits at 35.5%, better than the 45.8% national figure. Inspections look clean, 10 deficiencies on record, none at harm or jeopardy level, none abuse-related, and the most recent visit was June 2025. The tension is in quality measures, which come in at 1 star, meaning clinical outcomes tracked by CMS don't match the strong staffing picture.
St. Benedicts runs a leaner nursing floor than most: 3.75 nurse hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends drop roughly 18% below its own weekday coverage. That gap matters most on Saturdays and Sundays, when families tend to visit and when care needs don't take the weekend off. The nonprofit's inspection record is genuinely strong, a five-star health inspection rating, a clean slate on harm-level deficiencies, and a survey completed in April 2025, though one abuse-related citation and a 53.9% annual turnover rate, well above the 45.8% national figure, are worth asking about directly. Quality measures sit mid-range at three stars.
Miller Pointe runs on unusually steady staff. Aide and nurse turnover sits at 21.9% against a national average of 45.8%, and total nurse staffing of 4.34 hours per resident day clears the national figure by roughly 12%, though weekend coverage thins out about 9% below the home's own weekday level. The trouble is everything else. Sixteen deficiencies sit on the current record, two of them at harm or jeopardy level and one tied to abuse, with a $35,535 fine and a December 2025 inspection that produced a 2-star health inspection rating. Good staffing can't offset a survey history like that, which is why the overall picture lands closer to average than the 5-star staffing number suggests.
Maryhill in Enderlin runs a tight ship on the things you'd notice day to day: nurse staffing sits at 4.11 hours per resident, noticeably above the national figure, and only about a third of its caregivers leave each year compared to nearly half elsewhere. The tradeoff shows up in the clinical numbers, a two-out-of-five quality measure rating and fourteen deficiencies on the current record, one serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy. Inspectors were last in the building in November 2025 and logged a single fine just over $10,000. Weekend coverage drops roughly 18% from weekday levels, so ask how that plays out on a Saturday.
St Vincent's in Bismarck has a staffing story that looks fine on paper, 4.12 nurse hours per resident day, about 7% above the national average, and a compliance story that doesn't. CMS has placed it in the Special Focus Facility program, the agency's watchlist for homes with a pattern of serious problems, and the record shows why: 35 deficiencies, three at the level that caused actual harm or put residents in immediate jeopardy, and four tied to abuse. Two fines totaling $44,606. Weekend staffing drops roughly 17% below the home's own weekday level, and 42.9% of staff turned over last year, slightly better than average, but still nearly half the workforce. Inspectors were last in on April 3, 2025.
Prince of Peace Care Center in Ellendale is a 55-bed nonprofit home, and the numbers tell a mixed story. Nurse staffing sits at 3.45 hours per resident per day, about 11% under the national average, and weekends run roughly 12% thinner than weekdays. The bigger concern is turnover: 83.6% of staff leave each year, nearly double the national rate, which makes it hard to keep consistent caregivers. The quality measures look strong, but four deficiencies sit on the current record, two of them serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy. The last inspection was recent, in April 2026, so that picture is current.
Baptist Health & Rehab runs a solidly staffed building on paper, about 5.09 nurse hours per resident day, roughly a third more than the national average, and weekend coverage stays within about 9% of weekday levels, so care doesn't drop off as sharply as it does at many homes. The trouble sits elsewhere. State inspectors have logged 16 deficiencies on the current record, four of them serious enough to put residents in harm's way and two tied to abuse, with $35,323 in fines across three penalties. Staff turnover, at 49.3%, runs slightly above the national figure, and the most recent inspection dates to April 2025. That mix, strong hours, harder inspection history, is what holds the grade down.
Benedictine Living Center Of Garrison runs 52 certified beds as a church-affiliated nonprofit, and its staffing sits about 18% under the national average, 3.18 nurse hours per resident day against 3.86 nationally, with weekends roughly 7% thinner than weekdays. Turnover lands at 36.4%, better than the 45.8% national figure, so the people who stay tend to stay. The tradeoff shows up in its record: 14 deficiencies, including one at the harm level and two abuse-related, plus a single $8,278 fine, with the most recent inspection dated July 22, 2025. Its three CMS star ratings, health inspection, quality measures, and staffing, all sit at the middle.
Good Samaritan Society - Lakota runs 38 beds in a small Nelson County town, and the nursing hours tell a mixed story: 3.83 per resident day, just under the national figure, with weekends dropping about 24% below the home's own weekday staffing. Staff turnover is 44.7%, roughly in line with the national average, so retention isn't the problem here. The inspection record is. Twenty-seven deficiencies, two of them at harm or jeopardy level, plus two fines totaling $74,283, and a quality measure rating of 1 out of 5. The most recent inspection was June 2025, so the record is current. Nothing suggests abuse. But a home with this many cited problems and quality scores this low is one to visit unannounced and ask hard questions about.
St Rose Care Center runs 36 beds in Lamoure under nonprofit ownership, and the numbers that stand out most are about people. Nurse staffing sits at 3.36 hours per resident day, roughly 13 percent under the national average, and it thins out further on weekends. The bigger concern is turnover: 82.1 percent of staff leave each year, against a national average near 46 percent. That kind of churn means residents see a rotating cast of caregivers, which matters more in a small home where everyone knows everyone. The 13 deficiencies on record include none at the harm level and none related to abuse, and the last inspection was in April 2026.
Good Samaritan Society - Park River runs 44 certified beds as a nonprofit, and its last inspection was in August 2025. The staffing picture is mixed: 3.02 nurse hours per resident day sits roughly 22% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends dip about 17% below the home's own weekday coverage. Turnover runs 47.4%, slightly above the national 45.8%. On the record: 29 deficiencies, none at harm or jeopardy level, though one is abuse-related, plus a single $42,181 fine. Federal ratings put staffing at 4 of 5 stars but inspections and quality measures at 2 each. The takeaway: adequate hands on weekdays, thinner on weekends, with inspection findings that warrant a closer look.
Smp Health - St Raphael runs a church-affiliated nonprofit home with 170 certified beds in Valley City, and its nurse staffing sits at 4.71 hours per resident day, roughly 22% above the national average of 3.86. That staffing cushion shows up in its five-star CMS staffing rating, and turnover runs lower than average too, at 38.5% against 45.8% nationally, though weekend coverage dips about 11% below its own weekday level. The inspection record is solid but not spotless: nine deficiencies, one serious enough to reach harm or jeopardy level, and none tied to abuse. A recent September 2025 inspection and a four-star health inspection rating back that up, while quality measures land at three stars.
Ave Maria sits in Jamestown with 100 certified beds and a nonprofit owner, and its staffing is the standout: 4.98 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 29% above the national average, with turnover at 37% versus 45.8% nationally. Weekend coverage dips about 16% below its own weekday level, so the weekday-to-Saturday drop is worth asking about. The inspection record is where the concern lives, 11 deficiencies, 2 at harm or jeopardy level, 5 tied to abuse, and a $6,788 fine, with a 2/5 health inspection rating and 2/5 quality measures. The most recent inspection was December 11, 2025, so the record is current. Ask directly how those abuse-related deficiencies were resolved and what weekend staffing looks like now.
Good Samaritan Society - Bottineau carries a one-star health inspection rating, and the record behind it is heavy: 30 deficiencies, including three at the harm or jeopardy level and four tied to abuse. Federal fines total $110,247 across two penalties. Staffing is the one bright spot on paper, 3.59 nurse hours per resident day, close to the national average of 3.86, but weekend coverage drops roughly a fifth below its own weekday level, and turnover runs at 63.5% against a national 45.8%. That combination matters in a 52-bed home, where losing and replacing staff that often makes consistent care hard to sustain. The most recent inspection was March 2026.
Good Samaritan Society - Oakes runs 46 certified beds with nurse staffing at 3.23 hours per resident day, about 16% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends dip roughly another 10% below its own weekday levels. Half the nursing staff turned over in the past year, a bit above the 45.8% national figure. The record shows 18 deficiencies, including one at the harm or jeopardy level and three tied to abuse, plus a single fine of $8,281. Inspectors were last on site January 7, 2026, and the health inspection and quality measure ratings both sit at 2 out of 5, even as the staffing rating reaches 4.
Frequently asked questions
How many chain-owned nursing homes are there in North Dakota?
There are 27 chain-owned Medicare-certified nursing homes in North Dakota, 38% of the 72 nursing homes there.
Are chain-owned nursing homes better staffed?
In North Dakota they average 4.05 total nursing hours per resident per day, against 4.42 for all nursing homes in North Dakota, a difference of -0.37 hours. Staff turnover averages 50.2% against 48.8%.
Which chain-owned nursing home grades best in North Dakota?