Knute Nelson Care Center
420 12TH AVENUE EAST, Alexandria, MN 56308
Alexandria, Minnesota · CMS verdict
Knute Nelson Care Center reflects above-average quality on the federal five-star scale, above the Minnesota state average of 3.2.
The rating and the PlainElderCare Index below summarize federal inspection, staffing, and outcome data, they measure specific, documented dimensions of this facility, not a holistic verdict on the care your family member would receive. Visit in person, talk with staff and current residents' families, and weigh your family member's specific needs before choosing.
Knute Nelson Care Center in Alexandria, Minnesota holds a CMS overall rating of 5 of 5 stars and a PlainElderCare Quality & Compliance Index of 81 of 100 (grade B). Its CMS inspection record lists multiple deficiencies. Figures are from CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Quality & Compliance Index (upper star tercile)
This facility's CMS overall rating sits in the upper U.S. star tercile (>4/5). A transparent composite of this facility's CMS Care Compare sub-ratings and its federal inspection record. It complements, and does not replace, the official CMS overall star rating shown at the top of the page. How this is calculated.
How the 81 is built
Each segment is a dimension's weighted points toward the score, summing to 81.
Weights: health inspections 30%, staffing 25%, quality measures 25%, inspection record 20%; any dimension CMS has not published drops out and its weight redistributes (no silent deflation). Inspection record is benchmarked against all rated US nursing homes. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Knute Nelson Care Center's upper-tercile CMS stars
Quality ratings
The rating comes from CMS's most recent Care Compare release (data as of April 2026). CMS rolls three sub-ratings into the overall star: health inspection, staffing, and quality measures. The chart below sets each of them against the Minnesota average.
What each sub-rating measures
The health inspection rating reflects on-site surveyor findings from the last three cycles. The staffing rating compares case-mix-adjusted nurse hours per resident day to national benchmarks, and quality measures aggregate 15 clinical indicators including pressure ulcers, falls with injury, and long-stay antipsychotic use.
Size and setting
Located in Alexandria, Minnesota. Bed capacity and average daily census, where CMS reports them, are in Facility details below. Its ownership type, listed in Facility details, can influence staffing patterns, reinvestment decisions, and admissions policy. At roughly 77% occupancy, this facility has meaningful open capacity relative to its certified bed count.
Same-ownership peers
Within Minnesota, Knute Nelson Care Center is one of 161 non profit - corporation nursing homes CMS rates. Its 5-star overall rating sits above the non profit - corporation-segment average of 3.6 stars, ahead of roughly 68% of same-ownership peers in the state. This ownership-segment comparison controls for business-model differences, so what's left mostly reflects how this facility runs relative to similar operators, not the type of operator it is.
Inspection record
On the regulatory side, federal and state surveyors have documented multiple deficiencies at this facility; the counts are in Facility details below. CMS has levied no enforcement penalties over the equivalent window. This is a high deficiency count relative to most facilities; requesting the full survey report directly is the only way to see whether these are concentrated in one area or spread across the facility's operations.
Where these figures come from
Figures above come from CMS Nursing Home Compare (Care Compare, data as of April 2026) with state cost medians from the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey. See our methodology for vintage.
How Knute Nelson Care Center's upper-tercile stars compare to Minnesota
CMS five-star sub-ratings (0–5) for this facility against the Minnesota facility-weighted average. Source: CMS Care Compare.
Bar = this facility's rating · vertical marker = Minnesota state average. Higher is better on all four CMS measures.
Where Knute Nelson Care Center ranks in Minnesota
Among the 337 CMS-rated nursing homes in Minnesota, Knute Nelson Care Center’s 5-star overall rating is higher than 74% of them. The bars show how all Minnesota homes spread across the CMS 1-to-5 scale; this facility’s band is highlighted.
88 Minnesota homes share this 5-star rating. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Facility details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Beds | 83 |
| Residents | 64 |
| Ownership | Non profit - Corporation |
| County | Douglas |
| Penalties | 0 |
| Deficiencies | 14 |
Source: CMS Care Compare Nursing Homes (data as of April 2026)
What do families ask most?
What is the quality rating for Knute Nelson Care Center? ▾
CMS rates Knute Nelson Care Center at 5 out of 5 stars overall. How its three sub-ratings compare with the Minnesota average is charted above.
How much does a nursing home cost per month in Minnesota? ▾
CareScout's 2025 survey puts Minnesota's median semi-private nursing home rate at $10,646 per month ($127,750 per year), with private rooms averaging $13,870 per month.
What services does Knute Nelson Care Center offer? ▾
Knute Nelson Care Center operates as a skilled nursing facility. For the specific care and therapy services, contact the facility: CMS data covers capacity, ownership, ratings, and inspections, not a service menu.
Does Knute Nelson Care Center have any deficiencies or penalties? ▾
Knute Nelson Care Center has multiple deficiencies and no penalties recorded by CMS; the counts are in the Facility details table. A count this high is above what most facilities post; ask the facility directly for its plan of correction on the largest findings.
What are the alternatives to a nursing home in Minnesota? ▾
In Minnesota, alternatives include assisted living ($6,573/mo), home health aides ($8,389/mo), and adult day care ($2,600/mo).
Keep reading
Also see the Minnesota elder-care overview and highest-rated states. Provider ID: 245435.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.