The cost of long-term care in the U.S. has steadily risen since Genworth created its Cost of Care Survey in 2004. And this year has been no different. In fact, the pandemic has driven up cost even more, according to the survey.

Assisted living facilities saw the biggest increase. Over a single year, assisted-living facility rates rose by 6.15%, resulting in an annual national median cost of $51,600 per year.

The services of homemakers, those who assist in the home and have more of a hands-off role with errands, chores, etc., increased in cost by 4.44%, coming to an annual national median cost of $53,768. That was closely followed by home health aide services, which have more of a hands-on role with clients. These services saw a 4.35% increase in cost, rising to an annual national median of $54,912.

Private room nursing home rates increased by 3.57%, with an annual national median cost of $105,850, and semi-private nursing home rates jumped by 3.24% to an annual national median cost of $93,075. The one area that saw a decrease was adult day care, which declined by 1.33% to an annual national median cost of $19,240.

The least expensive care can be found in states in the Midwest and the western regions. It should be noted that Texas recorded the cheapest cost for semi-private room in nursing homes ($60,225 annually) and fourth for private room care ($76,650). It did not rank in the top 10 for assisted living care.

Following is a list of the 10 cheapest states, from highest to lowest, for the annual, monthly and daily costs for long-term care in an assisted-living facility. Also included in the rankings are the cost of private room nursing homes and semi-private room nursing homes in those states.

Genworth’s research included 435 cities and towns across all 50 states

10. Kentucky

The annual cost for assisted living in Kentucky is $44,385, the monthly cost is $3,699, and the daily charge is $122.
Care in a private room in a nursing home is much higher in the state, which ranked No. 16. The annual cost is $95,265, the monthly cost is $7,939, and the daily cost is $261.
The state ranked No. 21 for the cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home, with an annual cost of $87,965, a monthly cost of $7,330 and a daily cost of $241.