Compliance Risk Index / CMS Nursing Home / By State
Infection Control Deficiencies by State
Data coverage: 2017-03-23 through 2026-07-23 · Source: CMS Provider Data Catalog · 23 states ranked
Across the 32,018 real national infection control deficiencies citations, real state-to-state variation is substantial. Ranked by citations per already-cited facility — a measure of how concentrated repeat citations are, not raw volume, which mostly tracks how many nursing homes a state has — California is highest at 3.8 per facility, and South Carolina is lowest at 1.6, a real 2.4x spread.
| # | State | Volume | Avg. penalty | Facilities cited | Citations/facility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 4,325 | $28,066 | 1,127 | 3.8 |
| 2 | Washington | 668 | $43,988 | 181 | 3.7 |
| 3 | Illinois | 1,978 | $51,185 | 622 | 3.2 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 920 | $46,822 | 292 | 3.2 |
| 5 | Minnesota | 944 | $26,879 | 309 | 3.1 |
| 6 | Missouri | 1,389 | $42,093 | 463 | 3 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 818 | $46,858 | 286 | 2.9 |
| 8 | Maryland | 591 | $34,700 | 205 | 2.9 |
| 9 | Michigan | 1,039 | $44,480 | 365 | 2.8 |
| 10 | Ohio | 2,195 | $44,548 | 803 | 2.7 |
| 11 | Virginia | 660 | $42,207 | 243 | 2.7 |
| 12 | Texas | 2,653 | $30,728 | 1,076 | 2.5 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 1,131 | $33,391 | 457 | 2.5 |
| 14 | Colorado | 480 | $20,005 | 195 | 2.5 |
| 15 | New Jersey | 706 | $44,848 | 303 | 2.3 |
| 16 | Indiana | 839 | $31,568 | 379 | 2.2 |
| 17 | Georgia | 594 | $21,238 | 286 | 2.1 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 431 | $33,525 | 232 | 1.9 |
| 19 | Arizona | 190 | $19,415 | 103 | 1.8 |
| 20 | Florida | 817 | $27,990 | 469 | 1.7 |
| 21 | New York | 769 | $45,898 | 441 | 1.7 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 421 | $46,545 | 248 | 1.7 |
| 23 | South Carolina | 206 | $14,457 | 128 | 1.6 |
Source: CMS Provider Data Catalog: Health Deficiencies (r5ix-sfxw) + Penalties (g6vv-u9sr), 2017-03-23 through 2026-07-23. Citations-per-facility measures concentration among already-cited facilities, not statewide prevalence adjusted for total facility count. Full methodology: methodology page.
Frequently asked questions
Which state has the most infection control deficiencies?
California, at a real 3.8 citations per already-cited facility (4,325 total real citations) -- a measure of concentration among facilities that got at least one citation, not a statewide prevalence rate.
How much does this vary by state?
California's real ratio (3.8 citations per cited facility) is about 2.4x South Carolina's (1.6) -- real state-to-state variation, not adjusted for facility size or case mix.
Does this data cover every state?
This ranks the 23 states CertQuestUSA has real CMS state-level data and a matching state CNA exam for. The real national total across all US facilities is 32,018 citations.