Minnesota’s assisted living communities allow older adults to live a comfortable, active, and worry-free lifestyle. Sharing a Lake Superior water border with Michigan and Wisconsin, Minnesota is lovingly nicknamed the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” However, if lake life isn’t your forte, Minnesota also comprises vast plains and rolling hills scattered across the state. Boasting a moderate cost of living, Minnesota’s charming towns and lavish cities blend together to form a state rich with art, culture, sports fandom, and deep history.
The cost of assisted living in Minnesota averages approximately $4,800 per month, according to A Place for Mom’s internal data on our partner communities in the state. That’s about $300 less expensive than the national average. However, Minnesota’s assisted living monthly costs can range from about $2,400 on the lowest end to $7,700 on the higher end.[01]
Assisted living costs are different from community to community. They depend on factors like the specific location of the community, the size of their apartment floor plans, the quality of amenities they offer, and whether they provide advanced or specialized care levels. You can expect higher costs in communities offering larger apartment options, more luxurious amenities, and higher care levels.
The assisted living costs above account for all fees paid, including any extra services, amenities, and care. Our figures are reflective of the actual prices paid by families referred to one of A Place for Mom’s partner assisted living communities in Minnesota. Families can use a combination of private and public payment methods to cover these costs, which you can read about in the following section.
Average monthly costs
Minnesota
US National average
Average monthly costs
Average monthly costs
Average monthly costs
Families should start planning for how to pay for long-term care as early as possible. Whether you’re able to cover assisted living using personal savings or opt to utilize public pay options, there are a variety of methods to pay for assisted living in Minnesota. Read about the payment options below, or view our guide to paying for long-term care for a high-level overview.
Some families pay for long-term care using personal savings. However, there are a number of other private pay options. Click on the cards below to learn more about some different options.
Selling a house will generate funds to help pay for assisted living in Minnesota.
Reverse mortgage loans can convert a portion of your home equity into cash, which can be used to pay for assisted living in Minnesota.
Health savings accounts (HSAs) can help cover long-term care insurance premiums and other health care costs in Minnesota.
Life insurance policies can be sold or surrendered to pay for assisted living in Minnesota.
Long-term care insurance covers some assisted living services in Minnesota, depending on the policy.
Social Security benefits can be used to help pay for assisted living in Minnesota.
There are about 282,627 veterans living in Minnesota.[02] When it comes to paying for long-term care, Minnesota’s veterans have several resources at their disposal, one being benefits provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA provides generous benefit coverage to qualifying veterans and their spouses. Even if you assume you won’t qualify, their benefits are worth looking into, and you or your loved one may meet more eligibility criteria than you expect.
Additional benefits may also apply if you or a loved one acquired a disability during wartime service. Read through the VA’s list of service-connected ailments to learn more about their criteria.
For help navigating veterans benefits and its application process, which are both exceedingly complicated, reach out to a benefits counselor. There are many sources of guidance in Minnesota, including local VA centers and veterans service organizations (VSOs).
In Minnesota, local VSOs include the following:
Medicaid provides health insurance to individuals with a low or limited income. It’s a state and federal program and is administered at the state level. Medicaid can help families cover some assisted living costs, but it won’t cover the cost of room and board.
Minnesota’s Medicaid program is called Medical Assistance (MA). Administered by Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, MA’s coverage can include the following services:[03]
MA offers a waiver program for home and community based services (HCBS). Minnesota’s HCBS waiver programs include the following:[04]
Sometimes, accessing or understanding Medicaid benefits can be stressful or overwhelming. Fortunately, you can find free assistance through a local long-term care ombudsman. You can contact a Minnesota long-term care ombudsman by calling 651-431-2555. Their toll-free number is 1-800-657-3591. Alternatively, you can email them at MBA.OOLTC@state.mn.us.
Medicare is a federal health insurance program. It’s designed for adults aged 65 or older and people with disabilities. While Medicare can help cover some costs of assisted living, it will not cover the cost of room and board or nonmedical personal care. If you’d like to learn if a specific procedure, diagnostic test, or medical device is covered, you can search it using the Medicare coverage search tool.
Minnesota offers Medicare Savings Programs to help eligible people pay for their Medicare premiums, deductibles, and copays. Through the state’s Extra Help program, also called the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy (LIS), individuals can also receive financial assistance to cover their drug plan deductibles, copays, and coinsurance.
Senior LinkAge Line is Minnesota’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). It works in partnership with the state’s area agencies on aging to provide assistance with understanding and enrolling in Medicare benefits, along with other beneficial services.
For further assistance with navigating Medicare benefits, reach out to one of Minnesota’s local resources:
The staff is very nice. They take good care of my mother in law. They always have a smile and hello how are you doing? Every time I come to visit. They have a lot of different activities during the week.
Every person’s worst nightmare is having a loved one need to move away from home. Touring choices was depressing until Talamore turned out to be my “pot of gold” at the end of a dark rainbow. At Talamore, ...
Everyone who showed us the apartment the three times we went was very knowledgeable. The sales team and contract team and nurse were all great helping us work through the meetings and sit downs. The...
I recently admitted my mother in this facility and so far, it has been nothing but smooth sailing. My mom has been telling me how happy she was with the staff that truly care for her needs and the fun...
I love my apartment and I love the location. Never saw myself as a city dweller but I really appreciate it. The diversity in the people here is a first for me. It’s great. The neighborhood has such...
After touring and considering a variety of facilities, we found The Waters of Highland Park, in St Paul, MN. From the first impression of the welcoming Concierge staff and impressive environment, we ranked...
I moved in this week and am thrilled to live the rest of my life at The Kenwood. I've made many new friends and was even reacquainted with one of my old college professors from 50 years ago. I am a writer...
New flooring is going to be installed soon. EVERYONE is resident focused plus all staff knows residents names. Our loved one wants good old fashioned plain home cooking food nothing too fancy. They are very...
We were attracted to them because, not having to move to a different unit if her care needs changed was a big one, also the fact that it does NOT have a la carts pricing and we like the décor and outside...
We are setting up some als carte AL services and it has taken a while to meet with people and get things started. But they are very nice. My dad doesn't participate in the activities but they have many...
The staff was very attentive to my dad who was in a wheelchair. They treated him with respect and had fun with him too. When he passed away, they all came to pay their respects and many shed tears.
The staff were friendly, caring and professional. The facility was comfortable and clean. I felt my family member got great care there for a good value.
I toured Rose Arbor because I was impressed the minute I picked up the phone spoke with the marketing director. She was super friendly knowledgeable. It is because of her personality and guidance that I...
The staff is very friendly and the facilities are very clean. They have a lot to do for the residents including day trips off property as well as numerous activities on property every day!
What we like the most about Silver Creek is the cleanliness, the food, the friendliness, laundry service and quality of the facility.
The licensure term for assisted living in Minnesota is “Assisted Living Facility.” Assisted Living Facilities are regulated by the Department of Health’s Health Regulation Division. Minnesota recognizes two levels of Assisted Living Facilities. The first offers standard services found in most assisted living communities across the U.S., such as room and board, medication management, and assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs). The second offers the same services with the addition of specialized dementia care.[05]
An Assisted Living Facility (including one with dementia care) is defined as a facility that provides sleeping arrangements and assisted living services to at least one adult. Minnesota’s assisted living services can include one or more of the following:[05]
You can find a complete list of specific regulations that Minnesota’s Assisted Living Facilities must follow in the Minnesota section of the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL)’s Assisted Living State Regulatory Review.
We developed a system to rate each state on how easy – or difficult – it is to find important assisted living records and reports and compiled tips to help you in your search.
States with the most transparent records allow you to look up important information about each assisted living facility online, including inspections, complaints, survey results, violations, capacity, and whether the facility accepts Medicaid.
Public access to assisted living records and reports for the state of Minnesota is exceptional. Key findings that informed this rating include:
Follow the instructions below to look up assisted living licenses and records in Minnesota.
We developed a standard methodology for state data collection and evaluation, and based our rating primarily on the objective, state-specific accessibility criteria outlined in these questions:
A Place for Mom. (2023). A Place for Mom proprietary data.
United States Census Bureau. QuickFacts Minnesota.
Minnesota Department of Human Services. Medical Assistance coverage.
Minnesota Department of Human Services. Medical Assistance (MA) coverage for home and community based services through a waiver program.
National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). (2022). Assisted living state regulatory review.
Overview of assisted living in MN
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical, legal or financial advice or create a professional relationship between A Place for Mom and the reader. Always seek the advice of your health care provider, attorney or financial advisor with respect to any particular matter, and do not act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything you have read on this site. Links to third-party websites are only for the convenience of the reader; A Place for Mom does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
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