Nursing homes across St. Louis County, Minnesota, graded on the federal inspection
record, nurse staffing and staff turnover. County rank is shown on each home's profile.
Boundary Waters Care Center runs on a nonprofit model with 42 beds in Ely, and the numbers behind its grade are worth walking through. Nurse staffing sits at 4.29 hours per resident day, roughly 11 percent above the national average, though weekend coverage drops about 16 percent below what the home staffs on weekdays, a pattern worth asking about if your family visits mainly on Saturdays or Sundays. Staff turnover lands at 41.7 percent, a bit better than the 45.8 percent national figure. The inspection record shows 11 deficiencies, none at the harm or jeopardy level and none abuse-related, with the most recent survey completed in December 2025. All three CMS star ratings, health inspections, quality measures, and staffing, come in at 5 out of 5.
Essentia Health Northern Pines runs 33 certified beds in Aurora, and its inspection record is the cleanest part of the story: five deficiencies on file, none of them causing harm or jeopardy, none tied to abuse, and a survey completed in January 2026. Nurse staffing works out to 3.67 hours per resident day, about 5% under the national figure, and weekends drop roughly 19% below what the home staffs on weekdays, worth asking about if your family visits Saturdays or Sundays. The number that stands out is turnover: 22.6% against a national average near 46%, meaning aides and nurses here tend to stay.
Ecumen Lakeshore runs a nonprofit home with 60 certified beds in Duluth, and its staffing is the standout fact: 5.29 nurse hours per resident per day, roughly 37 percent above the national average. Weekend coverage dips about 10 percent below its own weekday level, which is worth asking about if your family visits or calls on Saturdays and Sundays. Staff turnover sits at 46.3 percent, nearly identical to the national 45.8 percent, so continuity of caregivers is average rather than exceptional. On the regulatory side, the record is clean where it counts: two deficiencies total, none at the harm or jeopardy level, none abuse-related, and a health inspection from May 2026.
Essentia Health Virginia Care Cent runs 40 certified beds as a nonprofit, and its nurse staffing sits at 5.08 hours per resident day, roughly 32% above the national average of 3.86. That's the number driving its staffing star rating of 5/5, though weekend coverage drops about 18% below its own weekday level, so the daily experience can vary. Staff turnover is 40.7%, a bit better than the 45.8% national figure. The home carries 9 deficiencies on its current record with none at the harm or jeopardy level and none abuse-related, and it was last inspected March 26, 2026. Inspection rating is 4/5, quality measures 3/5.
Guardian Angels in Hibbing runs a stable ship on the staffing side, 3.99 nurse hours per resident day sits slightly above the national average, and a 26.1% turnover rate is well below the typical 45.8%. That consistency matters, especially on weekends, when coverage still dips about 13% below weekday levels. Where the record gets harder to read is inspections: 41 deficiencies, four serious enough to put residents in harm's way, one tied to abuse, and $26,481 in fines, all reflected in a one-star health inspection rating that last came around in June 2025. Good staffing and a rough regulatory history can coexist, and here they do.
Cornerstone Villa runs on 4.01 nurse hours per resident day, which is about 4% more than the national average of 3.86. That staffing edge is real, though weekend coverage drops roughly 12% from weekday levels, so the daily experience can vary by when you visit. Turnover sits at 44.4%, just under the national 45.8%. The current record shows 20 deficiencies, one serious enough to reach harm or jeopardy level, none abuse-related, and three fines totaling $17,455. The last inspection was December 4, 2025. As a nonprofit with 43 beds, it's small enough to know residents individually, but that harm-level citation is worth asking about directly.
Cook Community Hospital C&NC is a small, government-run unit inside a hospital district in St. Louis County, and its record splits in two directions. Inspectors gave it four stars and the last visit was recent, in May 2026, but the current file still carries 11 deficiencies, two of them serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, plus one tied to abuse. Staffing is the sharper problem: the federal rating there sits at the bottom of the scale, well below what most homes report, while the quality measure score lands at two stars. For a 28-bed home, that combination matters more than the size suggests. If you're considering it, ask directly how nurse coverage works on evenings and weekends.
North Shore Estates runs lean on nurse hours, about 3.15 per resident day against a national average near 3.86, and weekends get thinner still, roughly 10% below its own weekday coverage. What keeps the place from looking worse on paper is retention: 32.1% turnover beats the 45.8% national figure by a wide margin, so the aides and nurses you'd meet have likely been there a while. The trade-off shows up in the inspection record: 24 deficiencies, one tied to abuse, though none rose to actual harm or jeopardy, and the last state visit was in February 2026. Quality measures land middling, which fits a home that's stable but stretched.
Aftenro Home runs lean on nurse staffing at 3.52 hours per resident day, about 9% under the national average, and weekends drop roughly 17% below its own weekday levels, so coverage thins out exactly when families tend to visit. The inspection record is heavy: 24 deficiencies, though none at harm or jeopardy level and none abuse-related, with the most recent inspection dated March 19, 2026. That one-star health inspection and one-star quality measure rating sit alongside a five-star staffing rating, which looks contradictory until you notice turnover at 26.4%, well below the 45.8% national average. Stable, experienced caregivers are a real strength; the state surveyor findings are the concern worth asking about directly.
Viewcrest runs lean on the floor: 3.44 nurse hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends drop another 9% below its own weekday pace. Annual turnover sits at 52.3%, well above the 45.8% norm, which matters because it means the staff you meet in month one may not be there in month six. The inspection record is mixed, a recent survey in August 2025 and no abuse findings, but 24 deficiencies with three at harm or jeopardy level, plus four fines totaling $51,441. Church-affiliated nonprofit ownership doesn't change the arithmetic: fewer hands per resident, a thinner weekend crew, and a turnover rate that outpaces the country.
Franciscan Health Center in Duluth runs on thin margins where it counts. Nurse staffing sits at 3.80 hours per resident day, just under the national average, and weekends drop roughly 14% below what the home manages Monday through Friday, a gap families often feel on Saturday and Sunday shifts. The 46.2% turnover rate tracks almost exactly with the national figure, so continuity of caregivers isn't unusually bad here, just typical. What stands out is the inspection record: 41 deficiencies, including six tied to abuse, though none reached the harm or jeopardy level. The most recent inspection was in late February 2026, so the picture is current. Quality measures score poorly even as staffing scores well, worth asking about directly.
Hilltop runs about 140 beds in Duluth under for-profit partnership ownership, and the numbers worth your attention are the ones a star rating can hide. Nurse staffing comes in around 3.31 hours per resident day, roughly 14 percent under the national average, and weekends drop another 7 percent below its own weekday levels, meaning the thinnest coverage lands exactly when families tend to visit. Annual turnover sits at 50 percent.
The inspection record is where things get serious: 35 deficiencies, three at harm or jeopardy level, three tied to abuse, and $168,221 in fines across three penalties. The most recent inspection was March 12, 2026, so that record is current.
The Waterview Pines runs on 3.30 nurse hours per resident day, about 15% under the national average, and weekend staffing drops roughly 11% below its own weekday level. That thin coverage shows up in the inspection record: 39 deficiencies, including two at the harm or jeopardy level and five tied to abuse, against a one-star health inspection rating. Staff turnover sits at 57.1%, well above the 45.8% national figure, so residents cycle through a lot of unfamiliar aides. It's a for-profit partnership with 83 beds, fined $10,036, last inspected January 15, 2026. The quality measure rating of three stars suggests some clinical metrics track better than the day-to-day staffing and safety picture.
Bayshore Residence and Rehabilitation Center runs 140 beds in Duluth under for-profit LLC ownership, and the staffing numbers tell two stories. Its 3.56 nurse hours per resident day sit about 8% under the national average of 3.86, and weekends drop roughly 12% below the home's own weekday level, so coverage thins exactly when families tend to visit. Turnover hits 58% against a national 45.8%, meaning more than half the nursing staff leaves each year. The inspection record is the harder part: 37 deficiencies, three at harm or jeopardy level, two tied to abuse, and $132,398 in fines, all from an April 2025 inspection. On paper the staffing star looks strong, but the same record shows real problems.
Benedictine Health Center runs 96 certified beds in Duluth under nonprofit, church-related ownership, and its staffing sits at 3.94 nurse hours per resident day, a bit above the national average of 3.86. That margin shrinks on weekends, when coverage drops roughly 13% below its own weekday level. The bigger problem shows up in its record: 19 deficiencies, including two at the harm or jeopardy level and three tied to abuse, with a 1-out-of-5 inspection rating. Annual turnover of 51.8% runs ahead of the 45.8% national figure, so the people providing that above-average care keep changing. Its quality measure score is strong; the inspection history is what pulls it down.
Heritage Manor runs a 65-bed nonprofit home in Chisholm, and the numbers pull in different directions. Staffing sits at 3.41 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 12 percent under the national average, and weekends drop about 14 percent below the home's own weekday level, so coverage thins out exactly when families tend to visit. Turnover is the bright spot at 31 percent, well under the 45.8 percent national figure, which suggests less churn than most places. The current inspection record is the concern: 25 deficiencies, including one at the harm level and one abuse-related, with the most recent inspection in June 2025.
The Waterview Woods in Eveleth runs on 2.94 nurse hours per resident per day, roughly a quarter below the national average, and weekends drop another 12% under its own weekday level. That thin coverage shows up in the inspection record: 39 deficiencies, four serious enough to cause harm or put residents in jeopardy, two tied to abuse, and three fines totaling $55,269. Staff turnover sits at 50%, higher than the 45.8% national rate, so caregivers are cycling through steadily. Medicare's own ratings put staffing at the bottom and inspections and quality measures each below middle. Corporate ownership takes the profit here, not the residents. The last inspection was November 2025.