Assisted Living in Missouri: A Family Guide

Facts checked September 28, 2026 against official Missouri sources

What assisted living is called in Missouri, what it costs, how Medicaid can help, how to check a community’s license and inspections, and who to call if something goes wrong. Every fact links to the official source.

Licensed by

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), Division of Regulation and Licensure, Long Term Care Regulation¹

Licensed communities on Lilisity

593 assisted living, 166 with memory care

Medicaid help

Yes: MO HealthNet Personal Care Program (state plan personal care)²

Typical cost

$5,400 a month (state median, CareScout 2025)

Long-term care ombudsman

800-309-3282³

File a complaint

1-800-392-0210⁴

What assisted living is called in Missouri

• Residential Care Facility (formerly RCF I)24-hour room, board and protective oversight for three or more residents, who must be able to get to safety on their own in an emergency.⁵
• Residential Care Facility* (continues to comply with former RCF II requirements)Like an RCF, plus help with personal care, diets and health care under a doctor's direction. Requires a licensed administrator.⁵
• Assisted Living Facility24-hour care and help with daily activities like bathing, dressing and walking, in a homelike social model of care. Residents may need only minimal help to evacuate.⁵
• Assisted Living Facility** (able to admit residents needing more than minimal assistance to safely evacuate)An assisted living that meets extra staffing and evacuation-plan rules so it can serve people who need more help getting out in an emergency.⁵

What assisted living costs in Missouri

The median cost of assisted living in Missouri is $5,400 a month, below the national median of $6,200 (CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, collected July to November 2025). Prices vary with the apartment, the level of care and the community, so ask each one for its current rate sheet, including care-level fees.

If more care is needed later: nursing home costs in Missouri, with CareScout medians and the private-pay rates Missouri nursing homes publish.

Plan with our free tools: how long will the money last? and home care or assisted living?

Paying for assisted living in Missouri

Medicare does not pay for assisted living. Families pay from savings and income, long-term care insurance, or benefits such as VA Aid and Attendance (estimate it). Who actually pays for long-term care.

Medicaid. MO HealthNet (Missouri Medicaid) can pay for personal care services for eligible residents of licensed residential care facilities and assisted living facilities, if DHSS finds they need a nursing-home level of care. Program: MO HealthNet Personal Care Program (state plan personal care).² Medicaid does not pay rent or meals in assisted living in any state, and not every community accepts it, so ask each one.

Supplemental Nursing Care (SNC). A state cash program for aged, blind or disabled adults living in assisted living or residential care whose income is below the facility's cost. It pays up to $292 a month toward assisted living fees ($156 for residential care), plus $50 a month for personal needs. You must be eligible for MO HealthNet.⁶

How to check a community in Missouri

Look up a license. Show Me Long Term Care lets you search licensed long-term care facilities, including assisted living and residential care, by county, city or ZIP code. Search Missouri’s records.⁷

Inspection reports. Show Me Long Term Care posts inspection and complaint results for assisted living and residential care facilities, about 30 days after follow-up visits. Facilities must also post their latest results on site. If you can't get them from the facility, you can request the records from the state with a form.⁷

Lilisity shows Missouri’s inspection record on each community’s page where the state publishes one: the state’s own records, dated and linked to the official source.

Always visit in person, at a mealtime or in the evening if you can. Bring the tour scorecard and the 8 tour questions.

If something goes wrong

Complaints about care or conditions. Report suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation to the Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline or online. If the person lives in a long-term care facility, DHSS Division of Regulation and Licensure staff investigate. Call 1-800-392-0210 or file online.⁴

Abuse, neglect or exploitation. Call 1-800-392-0210. How to report.⁴ If someone is in danger, call 911.

The long-term care ombudsman is a free advocate for residents of assisted living and nursing homes: they help resolve problems with a community, including move-out notices. Call 800-309-3282 or find your local ombudsman.³

Find assisted living in Missouri

Assisted living by city

Memory care by city

Every community and county in Missouri

Sources

1. Licensing agency (health.mo.gov)
2. Medicaid (sos.mo.gov)
3. Ombudsman (health.mo.gov)
4. Complaints, reporting abuse (health.mo.gov)
5. License types (health.mo.gov)
6. Supplemental Nursing Care (SNC) (mydss.mo.gov)
7. License lookup, inspection reports (healthapps.dhss.mo.gov)
8. CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 (state medians)

Facts checked against these official sources on September 28, 2026. Rules and programs change; confirm with the agency before making a decision. General information, not legal or financial advice.