How AI Search Is Recommending Assisted Living Facilities: Monthly Trends

Executive Summary

Brookdale Senior Living holds the current category lead in September 2026 with 16.7% valid recommendation coverage, 5.2 points ahead of Sunrise Senior Living at 11.5%. Brookdale's own coverage has moved only modestly across the three-month series — 16.8% in July, 14.2% in August, and 16.7% in September — a pattern the data classifies as stable rather than a significant swing. Sunrise Senior Living, which led the category in July at 20.1%, recorded a significant decline against that baseline, and Brookdale's steadier trajectory now holds the top position.

Belmont Village posted the strongest upward movement, rising 7.7 points from 2.6% in August to 10.3% in September, a significant move that also lifted its top-three rate from 1.8% to 8.3% and its rank-one rate from 0.9% to 4.5%. The brand's valid recommendation count grew from 3 to 16 across the same period, though its raw mention presence rose only modestly, from 8.8% to 15.4%, a signal that Belmont Village converted a smaller presence into far more recommendations.

Life Care Services (LCS) was the sharpest decliner, falling 5.4 points from 6.0% in July to 0.6% in September, a significant decline against the baseline and its second consecutive month of contraction. Sunrise Senior Living also declined significantly against baseline, dropping 8.6 points from 20.1% in July to 11.5% in September, though it partially recovered from its August trough of 8.0%. The September picture is one of selective movement: two brands recorded significant declines against baseline, no brands recorded significant gains against baseline, and the middle of the field compressed around a tighter cluster.

Each monthly run begins with 687 total prompt-surface observations (460 unique questions) in September 2026 across the benchmark's defined AI/search surface universe. Of those, 687 mentioned a tracked brand or competitor; 551 were relevant and 136 were irrelevant. The public metrics use the 156 observations that survived both qualification stages. The July 2026 baseline used a smaller collection (403 total prompts, 286 unique questions, 403 brand-mentioned, 318 relevant, 85 irrelevant) and retained 149 qualified observations; August 2026 retained 113 qualified observations.

Key Findings

Benchmark Context

The report separates the raw collection universe from the qualified analysis set. Brand-level recommendation percentages are calculated within the qualified benchmark set.

The qualified benchmark set expanded from 113 observations in August to 156 in September, a recovery above the July level of 149. The upstream collection also grew to 687 total prompts, reflecting a broader prompt universe than the prior two months. August recorded 403 total prompts and 113 qualified observations; September's larger collection produced a qualified set comparable to July's. This expansion changes the denominator against which all brand percentages are calculated and informs how the September movements should be read.

Benchmark-Level Metrics

AI Recommendation Trend

Two Significant Declines Against Baseline Reshaped the Middle of the Field

Brookdale Senior Living and Sunrise Senior Living continue to hold the top two positions in September, though the ordering beneath the leader shifted as two brands recorded significant declines against the July baseline.

The category's September structure reflects the combination of two significant declines against baseline — Sunrise Senior Living and Life Care Services (LCS) — rather than a single dominant movement. No brand recorded a significant gain against baseline, and the remaining eight brands moved within normal month-to-month variation. The most consequential effect was the compression of several mid-tier brands into a tight band between 0.6% and 2.6% coverage, while Brookdale Senior Living held an essentially flat lead at 16.7%.

What Changed This Month

Belmont Village

Belmont Village rose 7.7 points from 2.6% in August to 10.3% in September, a significant move and the largest riser of the month. Against the July baseline of 8.1%, the brand's coverage rose 2.2 points, a movement within normal variation, meaning the sharpest story is the August-to-September recovery rather than a sustained climb.

The brand's placement metrics improved across the board. Top-three rate rose from 1.8% in August to 8.3% in September, and rank-one rate rose from 0.9% to 4.5%. Belmont Village recorded 16 valid recommendations in September against 3 in August, with 7 rank-one placements against 1 in the prior month. Its top-ten placements grew from 3 to 16.

The distinction to notice is that Belmont Village's raw mention presence rose only modestly, from 8.8% in August to 15.4% in September, while its valid recommendation coverage more than tripled. The brand converted a smaller relative presence into a much larger share of recommendations, suggesting its mentions shifted toward answers that carry recommendation weight. Highest-priority diagnostic: which prompt themes produced the 16 valid recommendations in September, and whether the jump reflects a genuine expansion in recommended contexts or a concentration of mentions in high-value queries.

Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living held the category lead at 16.7% valid recommendation coverage in September, essentially flat against its July baseline of 16.8%. The brand's rank-one rate eased from 9.4% in July to 5.8% in September, while its rank-one count fell from 14 to 9 across the same period. Its top-three rate held at 12.8% in September against 13.4% in July.

Sunrise Senior Living led the category in July at 20.1%, ahead of Brookdale's 16.8% by 3.3 points. By September, that order had reversed: Brookdale's 16.7% led Sunrise's 11.5% by 5.2 points. Brookdale's raw mention presence remained the highest in the category at 64.1%, though its average recommended rank slipped from 1.45 in July to 2.54 in September, indicating its recommended placements now land somewhat later in AI-generated answer lists.

The distinction to notice is between holding the top position and converting presence into rank-one recommendations. Brookdale Senior Living appears in more AI answers than any other tracked brand, and it leads the category by coverage, but its share of top recommendations has drifted downward from July. Its rank-one rate of 5.8% in September trails the 9.4% it held in July despite a similar overall coverage level. Highest-priority diagnostic: which answers shifted from Brookdale in the top spot to another brand, and whether those shifts cluster around particular query types or surfaces.

Sunrise Senior Living

Sunrise Senior Living declined 8.6 points from 20.1% in July to 11.5% in September, a significant movement against baseline. Its August trough of 8.0% was followed by a partial recovery of 3.5 points into September, leaving the brand in second place but well below its July leadership level.

The brand's presence contracted sharply across the series. Raw mention presence fell from 63.1% in July to 38.5% in September, a 24.6 point decline that mirrors the drop in valid recommendation coverage. Rank-one rate held comparatively steady at 4.5% in September against 4.0% in July, with 7 rank-one placements in September against 6 in July, suggesting the loss was in breadth of recommendation contexts rather than in top placement.

The distinction is between visibility and recommendation strength. Sunrise Senior Living remains the second-most-recommended brand in the category, and its rank-one rate actually improved modestly against baseline, but it appears in far fewer AI answers overall. The presence decline means fewer opportunities to be recommended, even though the brand competes effectively when it does appear. Highest-priority diagnostic: which prompt themes drove the July presence that did not carry into September, and whether the contraction reflects a change in which queries AI systems answer with brand mentions at all.

Life Care Services (LCS)

Life Care Services (LCS) declined 5.4 points from 6.0% in July to 0.6% in September, a significant movement and the brand's second consecutive month of contraction. The brand fell from 1.8% in August to 0.6% in September, with valid recommendations dropping from 2 to 1 across the same period.

The brand's top-three rate fell from 4.0% in July to 0.6% in September, a decline of 3.4 points that tracks the same pattern as its recommendation coverage drop. LCS recorded 1 top-three placement in September against 6 in July, and its top-ten placements fell from 8 to 1 across the same period. Raw mention presence eased from 20.8% to 17.3%, a more modest decline that did not fully explain the coverage drop.

The distinction to notice is the divergence between presence and recommendation conversion. LCS maintained a meaningful mention presence at 17.3% in September, yet converted that presence into only 1 valid recommendation. The brand appears in AI answers but rarely as a recommended option, a pattern that contrasts with the relationship between presence and coverage seen elsewhere in the category. Highest-priority diagnostic: which competitors take the recommendation in answers where LCS is mentioned but not recommended, and what attributes AI systems associate with LCS versus those competitors.

Buyer-Intent Interpretation

In September, all 156 qualified observations fell into the brand recommendation cluster. No qualified observations were recorded for pricing and value or multi-brand comparison, despite the raw collection including 5 pricing analysis answers and 4 comparison analysis answers. The public benchmark therefore cannot yet answer which brand wins on price positioning or in head-to-head comparisons. The commercial question this category can answer is narrower: when a buyer asks for a recommendation, which brand appears, not which brand offers the better value proposition or wins a direct comparison.

Brand Opportunity Summary

The benchmark identifies where attention is warranted; a company-level analysis is needed to explain why.

Evidence Behind the Benchmark

The aggregate metrics are built from prompt-level observations covering the query, the AI surface used, the recommendation outcome, the rank of each brand mentioned, the sentiment expressed, and citations where exposed. Company-level analysis can go deeper into prompt, competitor, surface, and evidence patterns. Source presence is not automatically treated as proof of causation.

About This Benchmark

This report is part of the LLM Authority Index AI Market Discovery research program.

• AI Industry Market Discovery Index
• AI Industry Market Discovery Methodology
• AI Industry Market Discovery Metrics
• AI Industry Market Discovery Standards

Report-Specific Interpretation Notes

• Small-count movement: several brands in this category operate on very small absolute counts (Five Star Senior Living and Holiday Retirement at 1 valid recommendation each, Life Care Services and Sonida at 1 and 2 respectively). Their percentage movements represent a handful of observations and should be read with that context.
• Qualified denominator vs raw collection: percentages are calculated against the 156 qualified observations in September, not the 687 total prompts or the 551 relevant prompts. This means presence and coverage figures are conservative relative to the full collection.
• Directional analysis: month-over-month movement identifies changes worth investigating. The benchmark does not establish the cause of those changes. The September expansion of the qualified set from 113 to 156 observations changes the denominator and should be considered when comparing August movements to the broader series.

Next Step

The Public Benchmark Shows Where a Brand Is Winning or Losing. A Company-Level Audit Shows Why.

Beneath the aggregate percentages sit specific questions: which high-intent prompts are won, which competitor takes the recommendation when a brand loses, what attributes AI associates with each facility option, and which external sources shape those answers. The September data shows which brands gained and lost coverage, but not the prompt-level reasons why those movements occurred.

A company-specific AI visibility audit maps those prompt, surface, competitor, ranking, sentiment, and evidence-source patterns into a prioritized visibility strategy. This turns the benchmark's directional signal into an actionable plan for restoring or extending recommendation coverage.

Request an AI visibility audit