Compensation bands in post-acute and senior care are moving quickly. The shortage of licensed administrators and clinical nurse leaders means that offering average salaries is the fastest way to leave a seat empty.
Below are the 2026 compensation benchmarks for key leadership and clinical seats across senior living, skilled nursing, home care, and therapy practices.
Executive clinical leadership
Executive clinical roles hold the line on compliance and care quality. Their base salaries reflect the immense regulatory pressure they carry.
Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)
The CNO oversees nursing operations, clinical quality systems, and workforce strategy across the entire operator footprint.
- Community Hospital CNO: $190,000 to $260,000 base salary.
- Regional Senior Care CNO: $220,000 to $310,000 base salary.
- System CNO: $320,000 to $480,000+ base salary.
Note: CNO total compensation packages commonly include performance bonuses of 15% to 30% tied to clinical outcomes and nurse retention.
Director of Nursing (DON)
The DON manages facility or branch-level nursing teams, scheduling, and survey readiness.
- Hospital Unit DON: $130,000 to $190,000 base salary.
- Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) DON: $110,000 to $165,000 base salary.
- Home Health or Hospice DON: $110,000 to $155,000 base salary.
Facility & branch operations
P&L-bearing leaders are compensated based on bed count, revenue scale, and geographic density.
Licensed Nursing Home Administrator (NHA)
The NHA holds the legal operating license for the skilled nursing facility.
- Smaller SNF Administrator: $110,000 to $145,000 base salary.
- Mid-Market SNF Administrator: $135,000 to $185,000 base salary.
- CCRC / High-Volume SNF Administrator: $160,000 to $220,000+ base salary.
Senior Living Executive Director (AL / MC)
The ED manages assisted living and memory care operations, census, and staffing.
- Assisted Living Executive Director: $110,000 to $165,000 base salary.
- Wellness Director (RN): $95,000 to $130,000 base salary.
Specialized therapy & clinical roles
scarcity drives the salary parameters for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and autism services.
- Regional Therapy Director: $120,000 to $170,000 base salary.
- Outpatient PT Clinic Director: $105,000 to $135,000 base salary.
- Certified Hand Therapist (CHT): $105,000 to $145,000 base salary.
- ABA Clinical Director (BCBA): $105,000 to $135,000 base salary.
- Staff BCBA: $85,000 to $115,000 base salary.
If you are preparing to launch a search and need to calibrate compensation parameters for your local metro, contact us to request a localized study.