Senior Living in Wilmington, NC: Every Licensed Community & 2026 Costs
Senior living in Wilmington, North Carolina spans 22 state-licensed assisted living, memory care, and independent living communities and 18 Medicare-certified nursing homes across New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender counties in North Carolina. 2 area nursing homes hold a 5-star CMS rating. Lilisity publishes no score or ranking for any community that has not earned an award; the licensing and CMS data below are public records.
All senior living in Wilmington: 22 licensed communities by county
Every assisted living, memory care, and independent living community licensed by the state in New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender counties in North Carolina, from state licensing records. Listing here is not a rating: Lilisity publishes no score for any community that has not earned an award. Communities marked verified testimonials have phone-verified resident and family interviews on file.
Also listed from public records: 5 independent living, life plan or 55+ communities and 14 income-restricted senior apartment buildings. Independent living is not licensed by the state, so they are listed apart on each county page.
New Hanover County, NC 11 communities
- Bradley Creek Health CenterWilmington, NC · Independent Living · Skilled Nursing · Continuing Care
- Brightmore of WilmingtonWilmington, NC · Independent Living
- Brookdale WilmingtonWilmington, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- Carolina BayWilmington, NC · Independent Living · Continuing Care
- Cedar Cove Assisted LivingWilmington, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- Champions Assisted LivingWilmington, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- Morningside of WilmingtonWilmington, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- New Hanover HouseWilmington, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- Spring Arbor of WilmingtonWilmington, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- The Commons at BrightmoreWilmington, NC · Independent Living · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- The Kempton at BrightmoreWilmington, NC · Independent Living · Assisted Living
Brunswick County, NC 6 communities
- Arbor Landing at Ocean IsleShallotte, NC · Independent Living · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- Coastal PointeShallotte, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- Oma's on ParkwoodLeland, NC · Assisted Living
- TerraBella SouthportSouthport, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- The BluefieldsLeland, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- The Landings of Oak IslandOak Island, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
Pender County, NC 5 communities
- Arbor Landing at HampsteadHampstead, NC · Independent Living · Assisted Living · Memory Care
- Karon's Family Care HomeWillard, NC · Assisted Living
- Mary Rebecca's VillageHampstead, NC · Assisted Living
- Pen-Du Rest HomeWallace, NC · Assisted Living
- Poplar GroveBurgaw, NC · Assisted Living · Memory Care
How much does senior living cost in Wilmington?
Assisted living in the Wilmington area typically runs $4,500–$6,500 per month, with memory care $1,000–$1,500 above that and independent living below it; skilled nursing is billed through Medicare, Medicaid, or private pay rather than monthly rent. Rates vary widely by apartment size and care level, so ask for the community’s current rate sheet.
| Care type | Typical Wilmington range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Independent living | $3,000 – $4,500 | Private apartment or cottage, meals and services optional |
| Assisted living | $4,500 – $6,500 | Daily personal care, meals, medication management |
| Memory care | $5,500 – $8,000 | Secured neighborhood, dementia-trained staff |
| Skilled nursing | Payer-based | 24/7 medical care; Medicare/Medicaid/private pay |
Ranges reflect operator-published market rates for the region, November 2026. North Carolina’s Medicaid waiver programs and VA Aid & Attendance can offset costs — see the FAQ below.
What are the highest-rated nursing homes in Wilmington?
2 of the 18 Medicare-certified nursing homes in the Wilmington metro hold the highest possible 5-star overall rating from CMS — including Cypress Pointe Rehabilitation Center in Wilmington. Every facility below links to its full inspection history, staffing hours, and deficiency record.
| Facility ↕ | Location ↕ | CMS rating ↕ | Beds ↕ | Operator ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cypress Pointe Rehabilitation Center | Wilmington, NC | ★★★★★ 5/5 | 90 | Sovereign Healthcare Holdings |
| Bradley Creek Health Center | Wilmington, NC | ★★★★★ 5/5 | 30 | Independent |
| The Laurels of Pender | Burgaw, NC | ★★★★☆ 4/5 | 98 | Ciena Healthcare/Laurel Health Care |
| Brunswick Cove Nursing Center | Winnabow, NC | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | 175 | Independent |
| August Healthcare at Wilmington | Wilmington, NC | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | 120 | August Healthcare |
| Woodbury Wellness Center | Hampstead, NC | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | 112 | Independent |
| Autumn Care of Shallotte | Shallotte, NC | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | 100 | Saber Healthcare Group |
| Trinity Grove | Wilmington, NC | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | 100 | Lutheran Services Carolinas |
| Liberty Commons Nursing & Rehab Center of Southport | Southport, NC | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | 99 | Liberty Senior Living |
| Davis Health and Wellness Center at Cambridge Village | Wilmington, NC | ★★★☆☆ 3/5 | 20 | Independent |
| Northchase Nursing and Rehabilitation Center | Wilmington, NC | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | 140 | Principle Long Term Care |
| Davis Health Care Center | Wilmington, NC | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | 115 | Independent |
| Liberty Commons Rehabilitation Center | Wilmington, NC | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | 82 | Liberty Senior Living |
| Azalea Health & Rehab Center | Wilmington, NC | ★★☆☆☆ 2/5 | 80 | Saber Healthcare Group |
| Peak Resources-Wilmington | Wilmington, NC | ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 | 110 | Peak Resources, Inc. |
| Brunswick Health & Rehab Center | Ash, NC | ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 | 100 | Saber Healthcare Group |
| Autumn Care of Myrtle Grove | Wilmington, NC | ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 | 90 | Saber Healthcare Group |
| Brunswick Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center | Bolivia, NC | ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 | 90 | Yad Healthcare |
Source: CMS Care Compare, federal five-star quality rating system, retrieved November 2026. Lilisity republishes this government data unmodified; no facility can pay to change its rating.
Which Wilmington areas have senior living?
Senior living in the Wilmington metro is spread across New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender counties in North Carolina. The cities with the most licensed communities and nursing homes are listed below; most sit within a short drive of the region’s hospital systems, which matters for families coordinating specialist care or hospital discharge.
North Carolina
- Wilmington (22)
- Hampstead (3)
- Shallotte (3)
- Burgaw (2)
- Southport (2)
- Leland (2)
- Winnabow (1)
- Ash (1)
- Bolivia (1)
How these testimonials were collected and how we’re paid
- We interview residents and family members by phone, voice to voice — never web forms, never scraped from other sites.
- Every testimonial is named and dated, and verified against the community’s current resident or family list before publishing.
- Testimonials are published as given, including critical ones. The only scores or rankings we publish are the Top Communities list and the Excellence Awards.
How Lilisity is paid: Communities can pay Lilisity a flat monthly fee to manage their own listing: photos, prices, contact details, and receiving the inquiries families choose to send them. The fee is the same no matter how many families contact them or move in. Senior Living Alliance, which runs Lilisity, offers the same listing to its member communities as part of their membership; members pay SLA for its resident and family interview program. No community pays Lilisity per inquiry, per referral or per move-in. Payment never changes a testimonial, a rating, or the order of search results. The "Nearby Senior Living Alliance communities" box shows member communities only. CMS ratings come from the federal government, and testimonials come from residents. Read the full methodology → · How we are paid →
Assisted living and memory care by city
Wilmington senior living questions, answered
Most states, including North Carolina, offer a Medicaid waiver that covers care costs (not room and board) at participating assisted living communities for people who qualify financially and medically. Not every community accepts the waiver, so ask early. Veterans and surviving spouses may also qualify for VA Aid & Attendance, worth up to roughly $2,300 per month toward care.
Assisted living provides housing, meals, and help with daily tasks like bathing and medications in an apartment setting, state-licensed and mostly private pay. Nursing homes (skilled nursing) provide 24/7 medical care, are federally certified and CMS-rated, and are typically paid through Medicare, Medicaid, or long-term-care insurance.
Every facility in the table above links to its full record — CMS star ratings, health-inspection findings, staffing hours per resident, and any fines or penalties, sourced from Medicare's Care Compare data. 2 Wilmington-area facilities currently hold a 5-star overall rating.
Assisted living moves can happen in days when a community has availability — after a nurse assessment and paperwork. Memory care placements after a crisis often complete within one to two weeks. Ask each community about openings when you call.
Lilisity publishes scores and rankings only for the Top Communities list and the Excellence Awards, both built from phone-verified interviews. The 22 communities listed by county come from state licensing records; CMS ratings apply only to Medicare-certified nursing homes.
Free help with senior living in Wilmington
Our free guide shows the starting prices communities post for each kind of care, walks you through a monthly budget, and explains how insurance, VA benefits, Medicaid and Medicare can help. We don’t share your information with any community.
Free guide · 16 pages
Paying for Senior Living
Costs by type of care, a monthly budget, and how insurance, the VA, Medicaid and Medicare help.