New national data is giving adult day service providers a clearer picture of the sector in 2026. On July 10, 2026, the National Center for Health Statistics released weighted national estimates from the 2025 National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study Adult Day Services Center Survey. The new data covers enrollment, capacity, center size, ownership, Medicaid participation, licensing, participant needs, and other characteristics of U.S. adult day services centers. For providers, researchers, and operators looking for current adult day care statistics, one distinction matters immediately: the survey was conducted during the 2025 study cycle, but the newest national results were released in 2026. This guide translates those CDC figures into practical takeaways for adult day center operators and explains what the numbers do and do not tell us.
Adult Day Care Statistics 2026: Key Findings at a Glance
| Metric | Latest CDC/NCHS Figure |
|---|---|
| Estimated U.S. adult day services centers | 3,289 |
| Currently enrolled participants | 227,169 |
| Estimated average daily participants across centers | 157,535 |
| Total maximum allowable capacity | 262,917 |
| Centers with 1-25 enrolled participants | 25.7% |
| Centers with 26-100 enrolled participants | 54.5% |
| Centers with more than 100 participants | 19.8% |
| Centers authorized/set up for Medicaid or PACE | 75.9% |
| Participants with some/all services paid by Medicaid | 64.5% |
| For-profit centers | 49.6% |
| Nonprofit/government centers | 50.0% |
| State-licensed/certified or CARF-accredited centers | 92.3% |
The national center and participant estimates come from the 2025 NPALS methodology, while the percentages and operational estimates come from the 2025 weighted national estimates. Together, the figures show a sector with substantial Medicaid involvement, a nearly even ownership split, and wide variation in center size.
How Many Adult Day Care Centers Are There in the US?
The best current national estimate is approximately 3,289 adult day services centers in the United States, according to the 2025 NPALS methodology. Those centers served an estimated 227,169 currently enrolled participants. This figure is a national statistical estimate rather than a simple count of every organization appearing in a business directory or survey frame.
Why You May Also See the Number 4,448
CDC's final 2025 Adult Day Services Center sampling frame contained 4,448 centers, and all were included in the data-collection effort. However, not every organization on that frame was confirmed as an eligible adult day services center. After accounting for known eligibility and centers whose eligibility could not be determined because of nonresponse, the methodology reports an estimated national total of 3,289 ADSCs. For that reason, 3,289 should be used as the estimated national number of adult day services centers rather than treating the 4,448 sampling-frame count as the national estimate.
How Many Adult Day Care Participants Are in the US?
The new estimates put adult day care participants in the US at approximately 227,169 currently enrolled participants. CDC's enrollment measure includes participants on a center's roster regardless of how frequently they attend, including qualifying participants receiving services away from the physical center where applicable. Enrollment should therefore not be confused with daily attendance.
The 2025 weighted estimates calculate approximately 157,535 average daily participants across adult day services centers, while total maximum allowable capacity was estimated at 262,917 participants. A center's total enrollment, average daily attendance, and licensed or allowable capacity are three different measures. For individual providers, those distinctions should also carry into the adult day care KPIs they monitor internally because mixing enrollment with daily attendance can distort utilization, staffing, transportation, and revenue analysis.
What Does the Data Say About Center Size?
Most U.S. adult day services centers fall into the middle enrollment range. CDC's 2025 weighted estimates show that more than half of centers had between 26 and 100 enrolled participants.
- 25.7% of centers had 1-25 enrolled participants
- 54.5% had 26-100 enrolled participants
- 19.8% had more than 100 enrolled participants
Daily attendance tells a somewhat different story. Based on a typical week, CDC estimates that 41.6% of centers averaged 1-25 daily participants, 48.2% averaged 26-100, and 9.8% averaged more than 100. For operators, this reinforces why enrollment alone should not determine staffing or operating assumptions. A center may maintain a larger roster while serving a smaller number of participants on an average day. When translating census data into scheduling and workforce decisions, providers should consider their state's adult day care staffing requirements alongside actual daily attendance and participant needs.
Adult Day Services Medicaid Statistics: How Important Is Medicaid?
Medicaid remains a major part of the adult day services landscape. The 2025 weighted estimates show that 75.9% of adult day services centers were authorized or otherwise set up to participate in Medicaid or were part of PACE.
At the participant level, CDC estimates that approximately 129,324 current participants had some or all of their long-term care services paid by Medicaid during the prior 30 days. That represents approximately 64.5% of current participants in the applicable national calculation. These adult day services Medicaid statistics help explain why authorization tracking, attendance documentation, billing records, and payer requirements remain operational priorities for many providers.
The figures do not mean every center follows the same billing model or receives the same payment. Medicaid programs, waivers, managed care arrangements, covered services, and reimbursement structures vary by state. Providers comparing the financial side of Medicaid-funded adult day services should therefore review Medicaid reimbursement rates by state separately rather than applying a national payment assumption.
Who Owns Adult Day Services Centers?
The latest adult day care industry statistics show an almost even split between major ownership categories. According to CDC's recoded 2025 ownership data, 49.6% of centers were for-profit, 50.0% were nonprofit or government-owned, and 0.4% were not ascertained.
The nonprofit/government category combines private nonprofit centers with federal, state, county, and local government ownership, while the for-profit category includes private for-profit organizations, publicly traded companies, and LLCs. The near-even national split is useful context for providers, policymakers, researchers, and vendors because the adult day services sector is not dominated nationally by only one ownership model.
How Many Centers Are Licensed, Certified, or Medicaid-Authorized?
The 2025 data also provides a useful view of how regulated providers participate in the sector. Approximately 92.3% of centers were licensed or certified by their state specifically to provide adult day services or accredited by CARF. Separately, 75.9% were authorized or otherwise set up to participate in Medicaid, including state plan, waiver, or managed care arrangements, or were part of PACE.
These numbers should not be interpreted as a universal licensing rule. Adult day care regulation varies across states, and the CDC measure reflects the qualifying categories captured by NPALS. Center operators should always follow the requirements that apply to their own jurisdiction, payer contracts, and service model.
What Do These Adult Day Services Statistics Mean for Providers?
1. Enrollment and Attendance Should Be Measured Separately
The difference between approximately 227,169 enrolled participants and 157,535 estimated average daily participants illustrates why roster size is not the same as daily utilization. Centers need reliable records showing who is enrolled, who was scheduled, who actually attended, and what services were delivered.
2. Medicaid-Related Documentation Remains Highly Relevant
With 64.5% of current participants in the applicable 2025 calculation having some or all services paid by Medicaid, documentation quality is not merely an administrative concern for many providers. Attendance, authorizations, care documentation, service records, and billing information need to tell a consistent story. Providers strengthening those workflows can also review current adult day care documentation requirements and what adult day care Medicaid billing software should support.
3. Center Size Varies Enough That One Operating Model Will Not Fit Everyone
A 20-participant center and a 150-participant center may operate in the same industry but face very different scheduling, staffing, transportation, documentation, and reporting challenges. The CDC size distribution makes that variation visible. Technology and operating processes should therefore scale with actual center complexity rather than assuming every adult day provider works the same way.
A Note About CDC Methodology
NPALS is designed to provide national and, where feasible, state-level statistical information about the supply and use of long-term care services in the United States. For the 2025 Adult Day Services Center component, NCHS attempted a census of all 4,448 centers on its final frame.
A total of 1,149 eligible adult day services centers completed the survey. Because many centers could not be contacted and therefore had unknown eligibility, CDC applied survey-estimation procedures to account for nonresponse and unknown eligibility. The resulting methodology estimate was 3,289 ADSCs nationally. These are national statistical estimates, not a public directory of every currently operating center, and figures from different NPALS cycles should not be combined as though they were collected at the same point in time.
What Should Adult Day Center Operators Take Away From the New Data?
The newest adult day services statistics show a sector serving more than 227,000 enrolled participants, with significant Medicaid involvement, wide variation in center size, and an almost even split between for-profit and nonprofit/government ownership. For operators, the larger message is about data quality.
- How many people are enrolled
- Who actually attended each day
- Which authorizations are active
- What services were documented
- What staffing was required
- Which services are ready for billing
- How performance changes over time
National data can describe the industry. Accurate center-level data is what allows an individual provider to manage it. Adult Day Genie helps adult day providers bring attendance, participant records, documentation, operational reporting, and Medicaid-related workflows into a more connected process. See how Adult Day Genie can help your center organize the data behind day-to-day operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many adult day care centers are there in the US?
CDC's 2025 NPALS methodology estimates 3,289 adult day services centers nationally. The final survey frame contained 4,448 centers, but the methodology distinguishes that frame count from the estimated national total.
How many people use adult day services in the United States?
The 2025 NPALS estimates approximately 227,169 currently enrolled participants across U.S. adult day services centers.
What percentage of adult day services centers participate in Medicaid?
Approximately 75.9% of centers were authorized or otherwise set up to participate in Medicaid or were part of PACE in the 2025 weighted estimates.
What percentage of adult day services participants use Medicaid?
CDC estimates that approximately 64.5% of current participants had some or all of their long-term care services paid by Medicaid during the previous 30 days in the applicable 2025 data.
Are most adult day care centers for-profit?
No single ownership category holds a clear majority. The 2025 estimates classify 49.6% of centers as for-profit and 50.0% as nonprofit or government-owned, with 0.4% not ascertained.
What is NPALS?
The National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study is an NCHS program designed to provide statistical information about U.S. post-acute and long-term care providers and service users, including adult day services centers.