Guides/Raleigh-Durham/Senior Living
Senior LivingRaleigh-Durham

Senior Living Investment in Raleigh-Durham

Raleigh-Durham's senior living market benefits from solid demographics and job growth. You've got retirees staying put because of Duke and UNC medical facilities, plus in-migration from the Northeast. Cap rates sit 100-150 bps higher than multifamily, reflecting operational complexity. But fundamentals are strong — limited new supply and growing demand from aging professionals who built wealth in the Research Triangle.

Market Context

Cap Rate Range

6.0%-7.8% depending on acuity mix and vintage. Independent living trades tighter at 6.0%-6.8%, memory care pushes toward 7.5%

Current Vacancy

8.5% market-wide, down from 12% post-COVID peak. Independent living sits at 6%, assisted living at 9%, memory care at 11%

Rent Trend

3.2% annual growth across all product types. Independent living leads at 4.1%, driven by new resident income levels

Absorption

45 units per quarter market-wide. New construction absorption averages 8-12 months to stabilize

Price Per Unit Trend

$140K-$180K per unit for stabilized assets. Memory care commands premium at $165K-$200K per door

Transaction Volume

$280M in 2025, up 35% from prior year. Mix tilted toward portfolio deals and CCRC transactions

Submarket Analysis

North Raleigh

6.2%-7.0% cap

Vacancy

7%

Avg Rent (1BR)

$3,450 independent living

Strong. Affluent retiree base, proximity to medical facilities

OM Tip

Highlight household income data within 5-mile radius, competition pipeline analysis

Cary/West Raleigh

6.0%-6.7% cap

Vacancy

5%

Avg Rent (1BR)

$3,750 independent living

Tightest fundamentals. Limited land for new development

OM Tip

Emphasize barriers to entry, resident retention rates, payor mix strength

Durham/Chapel Hill

6.5%-7.2% cap

Vacancy

9%

Avg Rent (1BR)

$3,200 independent living

University town dynamics. Mix of faculty retirees and healthcare workers

OM Tip

Break out UNC/Duke affiliated residents, highlight medical proximity

Wake Forest/North Durham

6.8%-7.5% cap

Vacancy

11%

Avg Rent (1BR)

$2,950 independent living

Value-oriented submarket with room for rent growth

OM Tip

Focus on cost per bed comparison, Medicaid penetration rates

Research Triangle Park

6.3%-7.0% cap

Vacancy

8%

Avg Rent (1BR)

$3,350 independent living

Tech retiree in-migration story gaining traction

OM Tip

Corporate relocation data, Apple campus impact timeline

Performance by Vintage

0

2

1

0

2

1

3

0

4

+

5

6

v

7

i

8

n

9

t

10

a

11

g

12

e

13

14

c

15

o

16

m

17

m

18

a

19

n

20

d

21

s

22

23

5

24

0

25

-

26

7

27

5

28

29

b

30

p

31

s

32

33

c

34

a

35

p

36

37

r

38

a

39

t

40

e

41

42

c

43

o

44

m

45

p

46

r

47

e

48

s

49

s

50

i

51

o

52

n

53

54

d

55

u

56

e

57

58

t

59

o

60

61

m

62

o

63

d

64

e

65

r

66

n

67

68

l

69

a

70

y

71

o

72

u

73

t

74

s

75

76

a

77

n

78

d

79

80

c

81

a

82

r

83

e

84

85

i

86

n

87

f

88

r

89

a

90

s

91

t

92

r

93

u

94

c

95

t

96

u

97

r

98

e

99

.

100

101

2

102

0

103

0

104

0

105

-

106

2

107

0

108

0

109

9

110

111

p

112

r

113

o

114

p

115

e

116

r

117

t

118

i

119

e

120

s

121

122

n

123

e

124

e

125

d

126

127

c

128

a

129

p

130

i

131

t

132

a

133

l

134

135

b

136

u

137

t

138

139

o

140

f

141

f

142

e

143

r

144

145

v

146

a

147

l

148

u

149

e

150

-

151

a

152

d

153

d

154

155

u

156

p

157

s

158

i

159

d

160

e

161

162

t

163

h

164

r

165

o

166

u

167

g

168

h

169

170

u

171

n

172

i

173

t

174

175

r

176

e

177

n

178

o

179

v

180

a

181

t

182

i

183

o

184

n

185

s

186

187

a

188

n

189

d

190

191

c

192

o

193

m

194

m

195

o

196

n

197

198

a

199

r

200

e

201

a

202

203

u

204

p

205

d

206

a

207

t

208

e

209

s

210

.

211

212

1

213

9

214

9

215

0

216

s

217

218

v

219

i

220

n

221

t

222

a

223

g

224

e

225

226

t

227

r

228

a

229

d

230

e

231

s

232

233

a

234

t

235

236

d

237

i

238

s

239

c

240

o

241

u

242

n

243

t

244

245

b

246

u

247

t

248

249

f

250

a

251

c

252

e

253

s

254

255

o

256

b

257

s

258

o

259

l

260

e

261

s

262

c

263

e

264

n

265

c

266

e

267

268

r

269

i

270

s

271

k

272

273

w

274

i

275

t

276

h

277

o

278

u

279

t

280

281

m

282

a

283

j

284

o

285

r

286

287

i

288

n

289

v

290

e

291

s

292

t

293

m

294

e

295

n

296

t

297

.

298

299

P

300

r

301

e

302

-

303

1

304

9

305

9

306

0

307

308

s

309

t

310

o

311

c

312

k

313

314

m

315

o

316

s

317

t

318

l

319

y

320

321

c

322

o

323

n

324

v

325

e

326

r

327

t

328

e

329

d

330

331

o

332

r

333

334

d

335

e

336

m

337

o

338

l

339

i

340

s

341

h

342

e

343

d

344

,

345

346

l

347

i

348

m

349

i

350

t

351

e

352

d

353

354

i

355

n

356

v

357

e

358

s

359

t

360

m

361

e

362

n

363

t

364

365

o

366

p

367

p

368

o

369

r

370

t

371

u

372

n

373

i

374

t

375

i

376

e

377

s

378

.

What Your OM Needs to Address

State licensing compliance

North Carolina requires detailed staffing ratios and care level documentation

Data to Include

Current licenses, inspection history, staff-to-resident ratios by care level

Payor mix breakdown

Private pay percentage drives valuation. Medicaid rates vary by county

Data to Include

Monthly private pay vs Medicaid breakdown, rate comparison to state averages

Acuity migration patterns

Residents aging in place affects unit mix and revenue

Data to Include

3-year resident flow between care levels, average length of stay by acuity

Staffing cost trends

CNA and nursing wages up 15-20% post-COVID, stabilizing but still elevated

Data to Include

Wage trends by position, turnover rates, recruitment costs

Medical facility proximity

Duke and UNC systems drive resident selection and peace of mind

Data to Include

Distance to major hospitals, physician relationships, transport services

Competition pipeline

New supply limited but impacts absorption timing

Data to Include

Projects in planning/construction within 10 miles, delivery timeline

Investment Outlook

Short Term

Stabilizing occupancy and margin improvement as staffing costs normalize. New supply remains limited through 2027 due to construction financing challenges. Cap rates holding steady in 6.0%-7.5% range.

Medium Term

Demographics accelerate post-2028 as baby boomers hit 80+. Research Triangle job growth continues attracting pre-retirees. Expect rent growth to outpace general CPI by 100-150 bps annually.

Long Term

Secular demand story intact through 2035+. Technology adoption reduces some labor pressure. Regulatory changes possible around Medicaid reimbursement and care standards. Climate migration from other states benefits North Carolina markets.

Buyer Profile

REITs active in stabilized Class A assets. Private equity targeting value-add opportunities in secondary submarkets. Family offices interested in newer CCRC developments. Debt pricing favors experienced senior housing operators.

Marketing a senior living property in Raleigh-Durham?

DealDraft generates professional offering memorandums with market-specific data and property-type expertise built in.

Create Your OM