As the baby-boom generation moves into the later decades of life, the United States is witnessing not only a swelling demand for senior living services but a parallel expansion of employment across the senior living industry. From assisted-living communities to memory care units, from independent-living campuses to continuing-care retirement communities, the senior living sector is emerging as a major engine of job creation, career transformation and workforce opportunity.
Growing demand, expanding workforce
The demand side is unmistakable. The senior living market in the U.S. was estimated at roughly US$900 billion in 2024, and is projected to grow to more than US$1.3 trillion by the early 2030s. That magnitude of growth implies more than just housing and services— it implies jobs. Indeed, workforce projections for the senior living industry show a strong uptick: according to the national trade association Argentum, total employment in senior living is projected to reach some 1.18 million by 2040—a roughly 33 percent increase from 2021 levels.
But it’s not just new jobs from growth; many of the job openings will come from turnover, retirement and career mobility. Between 2021 and 2040, senior living will need to fill more than 3 million occupational openings (from both growth and replacement) in communities such as assisted living and continuing-care retirement communities.
To put that in perspective: in October 2023, senior living employment was reported at about 964,000 jobs—just under the pre-pandemic level—and the industry posted a 6.3 percent employment growth rate for the year, the strongest since at least the 1990s.
Why this growth?
Several key forces are driving this job growth. First and foremost is demographics. The U.S. population aged 65+ is growing rapidly, which increases demand for senior-appropriate housing, assisted living, memory care and other services. For example, estimates suggest the number of older adults living in long-term care settings will rise substantially.
Second, the shift in preference and expectation for senior living is altering the nature of the industry. Many older adults are seeking more comfort, independence, amenity-rich communities, and memory care services—these all require more staff, more varied roles and higher staffing ratios. The market data show a rising share of independent living and active adult communities, alongside memory care and assisted living niches.
Third, the pandemic’s labor shocks created both disruption and opportunity. The senior living sector lost about 106,500 jobs (approximately 10 percent of its workforce) between February 2020 and January 2022. But the recovery has been strong, and the current trajectory suggests the industry is bouncing back and then accelerating.
Areas of job growth
Within senior living, job growth is concentrated in several categories: assisted living, memory care, continuing-care retirement communities (CCRCs), dining and hospitality roles, clinical support, wellness and lifestyle coordination, and administrative and sales-marketing roles. For example, the assisted living component (which provides housing and personal support, but less intensive nursing) has fully regained its pre-pandemic employment levels and is on a strong growth path.
In contrast, CCRCs have been more sluggish, still more than 30,000 jobs below their pre-pandemic peak in some measurement.
More broadly, a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) spotlight reveals that as of July 2024, nearly 981,000 jobs were in continuing-care retirement communities and assisted-living facilities for the elderly; while home- and community-based services employed 4.3 million in total.
Workforce dynamics and challenges
With opportunities abundant, the senior living workforce faces real challenges. Staffing shortages and turnover are persistent. Wages in the sector have been rising: for instance, hourly earnings growth for senior living workers was 5.2 percent in 2020, 6 percent in 2021 and 8.9 percent in 2022—each a record high for the field. As of September 2023, average hourly earnings in continuing-care retirement/life plan communities were up 28 percent from 2019, and in assisted living up 26 percent.
Yet, despite wage gains, recruiting and retaining staff remains a key concern. Many roles in senior living are demanding—physically, emotionally—and must balance resident safety, regulatory compliance, evolving care models (e.g., dementia care, memory support), and increasing resident acuity. The fact that the industry is expected to need to fill more than 1.3 million openings between 2021 and 2030 underscores the scale of the staffing challenge.
Regional variation also matters: while some states have fully regained and surpassed pre-pandemic staffing levels (e.g., Utah, Georgia, Minnesota), others continue to lag significantly (e.g., Oklahoma, Delaware).
Implications for job seekers and employers
For job seekers, the senior living industry offers a spectrum of opportunities—entry-level caregiving roles (e.g., personal care aide, direct support professional), hospitality and activity coordination roles (in more lifestyle-oriented communities), sales and marketing roles (as senior living communities compete for residents), clinical and wellness coordination, and leadership/management roles. Because of the strong growth trajectory, many of these roles are expanding in scope and number.
Employers, for their part, are being compelled to invest more in training, career pathways and retention strategies. As the industry matures, communities are differentiating on service quality, amenities, memory care specialization, wellness programming, and resident experience—not just on lodging. That means staffing roles are evolving: caregivers may need more dementia-care training; hospitality staff may need resident-engagement skills; wellness coordinators may need workouts, nutrition, and lifestyle differentiation; and sales teams may need to articulate differentiators in a crowded market.
Additionally, the competition for talent is not confined to senior living—other healthcare and service sectors are also recruiting and sometimes poaching from senior living. Thus senior living providers must position themselves as attractive employers: offering competitive wages and benefits, meaningful work, clear advancement pathways, flexible scheduling, and positive culture.
Trends shaping future job growth
Several trends promise to shape job growth in senior living over the next decade:
-
Memory care and specialized care models: With increasing prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, senior living communities are creating dedicated memory-care units, which require higher staffing ratios, higher training, and more specialized roles.
-
Lifestyle and wellness orientation: Senior living is increasingly marketed not just as a “care” environment but a “living” environment—resorts for older adults, with robust lifestyle, fitness, wellness, social, dining, entertainment services. That raises demand for hospitality roles, activity specialists, wellness coordinators, and tech-savvy staff.
-
Technology adoption and remote/tele-services: With telehealth, remote monitoring and smart-community technologies on the rise, senior living communities require staff who can support tech use, assist with remote monitoring, manage resident data, and integrate digital health services.
-
Home- and community-based complementarity: While facility-based senior living grows, many older adults prefer aging in place. That drives demand for home health aides, companion care, adult day care, and community services. The greater network of services means more jobs outside traditional facility walls. The BLS spotlight showed home and community-based service employment rose sharply from 1990 to 2024.
-
Career pathways, credentialing and professionalism: As the industry grows, there is more emphasis on credentials, training, career development, retention strategies and professional advancement. That helps attract more diverse talent, including younger workers, and positions senior living as more than just “caregiving.”
Why the job growth matters beyond the sector
The job growth in senior living is not only a sectoral phenomenon—it carries broader implications for the U.S. labor market, regional economies and social policy. First, it provides employment opportunities in many regions, including rural and suburban areas where senior living communities are often located. Second, as many traditional industries slow or shrink, the growth in senior services offers a counter-cyclical labor pathway. Third, by supporting older adults’ quality of life and enabling aging in community and alternative living arrangements, senior living jobs play a role in managing public-health and social-care costs.
Moreover, for many job seekers, working in senior living can provide purpose, community connection, and stability. The trend toward higher wages, professional development and career tracks improves the attractiveness of the field.
Caveats and considerations
While the outlook is positive, a few caveats are in order. First, the senior living industry is sensitive to macroeconomic conditions (e.g., interest rates, real-estate development, operating costs), demographic shifts, regulatory changes and reimbursement policies (especially where Medicaid or Medicare support services). The pandemic reminded us that resident demand, occupancy rates and staffing stability can be vulnerable.
Second, while job growth is strong, not all roles will necessarily pay high wages. Some frontline caregiving roles still struggle with turnover and may be physically demanding. While wage growth has been strong (see earlier), employer practices vary significantly by region, facility type, and staffing models. Third, competition from other care sectors (home health, hospital, outpatient, community services) means that senior living employers must continue fighting for talent.
Looking ahead
In the next decade, job growth in the senior living sector is likely to continue strongly. With the sector projected to expand by roughly a third by 2040 for facility-based senior living, and with millions of job openings from both growth and turnover, the senior living industry stands as a major labor-market frontier. For job seekers, employers, policy-makers and educators, the sector offers an important opportunity: to build meaningful careers, improve older-adult services, invest in training and lift the quality of senior living.
In short, the story of senior living job growth is a story of demographic necessity, economic transformation and workforce opportunity. The generation of older Americans moving into senior living communities demands services and experiences; meeting that demand means rising employment across caregiving, wellness, hospitality, sales, technology and leadership roles. For those interested in careers with impact and staying power, senior living offers a compelling path.