By Pittsburgh Senior Advisor Care Team · October 10, 2026
Of 109 rated nursing homes in Allegheny and six surrounding counties, 7 have CMS's 5-star overall rating and 48 have 1 star (CMS data processed October 1, 2026). Fayette County's small group of homes averages highest; Beaver and Armstrong lowest. Read the health-inspection and staffing ratings behind any overall score.
How are the ratings distributed?
CMS rates nursing homes from 1 to 5 stars overall. In our seven counties, 7 homes have 5 stars, 12 have 4, 20 have 3, 22 have 2 and 48 have 1, with 2 unrated. That is a heavy tilt toward the bottom: more than four in ten rated homes sit at 1 star.
The overall rating combines a health-inspection rating, a staffing rating and a quality-measure rating, so a home can earn its overall score in different ways.
How do the counties compare?
County averages hide a lot of spread, but they give a sense of each market.
| County | Nursing homes | Avg overall stars | Rated 4-5 | Rated 1 | Median nurse hours/resident/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny | 52 | 2.4 | 12 | 22 | 3.59 |
| Westmoreland | 19 | 1.9 | 1 | 8 | 3.63 |
| Butler | 11 | 2.0 | 2 | 6 | 3.65 |
| Washington | 12 | 1.7 | 0 | 5 | 3.53 |
| Beaver | 6 | 1.2 | 0 | 4 | 3.42 |
| Fayette | 7 | 3.0 | 4 | 2 | 3.45 |
| Armstrong | 4 | 1.8 | 0 | 1 | 3.57 |
Which homes rate highest?
These homes combine a 5-star or 4-star overall rating with the strongest staffing ratings in the region, per CMS: Concordia of the South Hills in Pittsburgh (5 stars overall, staffing 5 of 5); Providence Point Healthcare Residence in Pittsburgh (5 stars overall, staffing 5 of 5); Sherwood Oaks in Cranberry Township (5 stars overall, staffing 5 of 5); UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Tcu in Pittsburgh (5 stars overall, staffing 5 of 5); Harmony Physical Rehabilitation in Monroeville (5 stars overall, staffing 4 of 5); Lgar Health and Rehabilitation in Turtle Creek (5 stars overall, staffing 4 of 5).
A high overall rating is a reason to visit, not a reason to skip the visit. Ratings lag behind real changes in staff and ownership.
What does a 1-star rating usually reflect?
Most 1-star homes have a low health-inspection rating, which comes from the number and severity of deficiencies in recent standard surveys and complaint investigations, sometimes along with fines. Our facility pages show each home's most recent survey date, deficiency count, fines and payment denials as CMS reports them.
A 1-star home with recent ownership change, or one improving from survey to survey, may look different a year from now. Ask what has changed since the last survey.
What are the three parts of the overall rating?
The health-inspection rating reflects the number, scope and severity of deficiencies in the home's recent standard surveys and complaint investigations. The staffing rating uses payroll data on nurse and aide hours per resident, adjusted for how sick residents are. The quality-measure rating draws on resident assessment and claims data, such as rehospitalizations, falls with injury and help with daily activities, with separate long-stay and short-stay ratings.
Families choosing rehab after a hospital stay should look closely at the short-stay quality rating; families choosing a long-term home should look at the long-stay rating and staffing.
How do fines and the abuse icon fit in?
CMS also publishes fines, payment denials and an abuse icon for homes cited for abuse. Across our seven counties, 36 nursing homes carry the abuse icon in the October 2026 data. These flags appear on our facility pages where CMS reports them, alongside the ratings.
A fine or icon is a reason to read the inspection narrative on Care Compare and ask the administrator what changed.
How should you use the ratings at a hospital discharge?
Discharge planners hand families a list of homes with open beds, often on short notice. Sorting that list by CMS overall rating, then checking the staffing rating and short-stay quality rating for rehab, takes a few minutes and narrows the field quickly.
Our nursing home directory sorts every home in the region by rating, beds and town.
CMS overall rating: what it is and is not
| It is | It is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System | a rating calculated by this site |
| Built from | inspections, staffing, quality measures | online reviews |
| Comparison | nursing home against nursing home | a personal care home score |
| Timing | data processed October 1, 2026 | real-time |
Frequently asked questions
Who publishes nursing home star ratings?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes the Five-Star Quality Rating for certified nursing homes. We show CMS's ratings as published and do not compute our own.
How current is this data?
It reflects the CMS Provider Data Catalog processed October 1, 2026. CMS updates the data periodically.
Do personal care homes have star ratings?
No. Pennsylvania publishes no rating for personal care homes or assisted living residences; use their DHS license and inspection reports instead.
What is a good staffing level?
There is no single right number, but CMS's reported nurse hours per resident per day let you compare homes; around Pittsburgh the median is about 3.6 hours.
