SeniorCareRatingSeniorCareRating
Top-rated · Iowa

Top-Rated Nursing Homes in Iowa

The 98 nursing homes in Iowa that CMS rates 5 stars overall — the highest rating in the government’s five-star system. Listed exactly as CMS publishes it, grouped by county.

98 CMS 5-star facilitiesIowaCMS data · updated 2026-07-18
Search all 5-star →Compare facilities

At a glance

CMS gives its highest overall rating — 5 stars — to 98 of Iowa’s 387 rated nursing homes (about 25%). These facilities earned CMS’s top overall score across health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. SeniorCareRating.com reports CMS’s own ratings and adds no ranking or opinion of its own.
CMS 5-star nursing homes
98
Share of rated facilities
25%
of 387 rated
Rated 4 stars or better
174
All nursing homes in state
390
About the CMS 5-star rating (and what this list is not)
The overall five-star rating is calculated by CMS from three components — health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. It summarizes past reported data and is not a guarantee about a facility’s current conditions. This page lists the facilities CMS rates 5 stars; it is not a ranking, score, or recommendation from SeniorCareRating.com. Confirm any facility’s current rating on Medicare’s Care Compare, and visit in person before deciding.

CMS 5-star nursing homes in Iowa

Open in search →

All 98 facilities, grouped by county. Each links to its full CMS record.

Polk County10

Compare the top-rated facilities

Open Compare →

Put two to four of these facilities side by side on the same CMS fields — exact CMS values, no ranking or recommendation.

A 5-star overall rating does not mean two facilities are identical — they can differ on health inspections, staffing, penalties, and beds. Compare shows all of it side by side.

Start comparing →All nursing homes in Iowa

Related research

Frequently asked questions

How many 5-star nursing homes are in Iowa?

CMS gives its highest overall rating — 5 stars — to 98 of the 387 rated nursing homes in Iowa (about 25%). Those 98 facilities are listed on this page, grouped by county.

Are these the best nursing homes in Iowa?

They are the facilities CMS rates 5 stars overall — the highest rating in the government's five-star system, based on health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. SeniorCareRating.com does not add its own ranking or opinion; a CMS star rating is a summary of past data, not a guarantee about a facility's current care. Always visit in person and confirm current details with the facility.

What does a 5-star CMS rating mean?

CMS calculates an overall five-star rating from three components: health inspections, staffing levels relative to resident needs, and clinical quality measures. Five stars is "much above average" in CMS's own words. It reflects past reported data, so read it alongside the facility's individual records and a personal visit.

How current is this list?

The ratings on this page reflect the CMS data snapshot refreshed 2026-07-18. CMS updates its ratings over time, so confirm a facility's current rating on Medicare's Care Compare before making a decision.

Methodology and limits
This page lists the 98 nursing homes CMS rates 5 stars overall in Iowa, from the CMS Provider Data Catalog. CMS star ratings are shown exactly as CMS publishes them and summarize past data, not current conditions. SeniorCareRating.com adds no ranking or opinion. See full methodology.
SeniorCareRating.com summarizes public CMS data. It is not affiliated with CMS, Medicare.gov, or any nursing home. Data may lag current conditions. This is not medical, legal, or care-placement advice — always verify with official sources and qualified professionals.