Northgate Care Center
960 4th Street NW, Waukon, IA 52172
Waukon, Iowa · CMS verdict
CMS places Northgate Care Center in the average range on the federal scale, and in line with the Iowa average of 3.1.
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.
Northgate Care Center in Waukon, Iowa holds a CMS overall rating of 3 of 5 stars and a PlainElderCare Quality & Compliance Index of 57 of 100 (grade F). Its CMS inspection record lists a moderate number of deficiencies. Figures are from CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Quality & Compliance Index (lighter deficiency book)
Its CMS deficiency count sits in the lighter U.S. deficiency tercile (≤16). 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 57 is built
Each segment is a dimension's weighted points toward the score, summing to 57.
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.
Northgate Care Center's lighter CMS deficiency book
Quality ratings
CMS's most recent Care Compare release (data as of April 2026) scores Northgate Care Center on three sub-ratings that roll up into the overall star: health inspection, staffing, and quality measures. Each is charted against the Iowa average below.
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 Waukon, Iowa. 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. With occupancy around 82%, bed usage here sits in the range typical of a stabilized facility.
Same-ownership peers
Within Iowa, Northgate Care Center is one of 112 for profit - corporation nursing homes CMS rates. Its 3-star overall rating sits below the for profit - corporation-segment average of 3.1 stars, ahead of roughly 38% of same-ownership peers in the state. Same-segment comparisons like this one strip out the business-model factor, leaving a cleaner read on facility-level performance than a raw state average would give.
Inspection record
On the regulatory side, federal and state surveyors have documented a moderate number of deficiencies at this facility; the counts are in Facility details below. CMS has levied no enforcement penalties over the equivalent window. This volume of findings is worth reading past the count: CMS's F-tag scale separates isolated, low-harm citations from widespread or immediate-jeopardy ones, and only the full report shows which this facility has.
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 Northgate Care Center compares to Iowa
CMS five-star sub-ratings (0–5) for this facility against the Iowa facility-weighted average. Source: CMS Care Compare.
Bar = this facility's rating · vertical marker = Iowa state average. Higher is better on all four CMS measures.
Where Northgate Care Center ranks in Iowa
Among the 388 CMS-rated nursing homes in Iowa, Northgate Care Center’s 3-star overall rating is higher than 37% of them. The bars show how all Iowa homes spread across the CMS 1-to-5 scale; this facility’s band is highlighted.
74 Iowa homes share this 3-star rating. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Facility details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Beds | 50 |
| Residents | 41 |
| Ownership | For profit - Corporation |
| County | Allamakee |
| Penalties | 0 |
| Deficiencies | 10 |
Source: CMS Care Compare Nursing Homes (data as of April 2026)
What do families ask most?
What is the quality rating for Northgate Care Center? ▾
3 out of 5 stars is Northgate Care Center's current CMS overall rating. The chart on this page breaks it into health inspection, staffing, and quality measures against the Iowa average.
How much does a nursing home cost per month in Iowa? ▾
In Iowa, a semi-private nursing home room runs a median $9,277/month ($111,325/year) per the CareScout 2025 survey; private rooms average $10,038/month.
What services does Northgate Care Center offer? ▾
CMS classifies Northgate Care Center as a skilled nursing facility. Care Compare does not itemize the services on offer; the facility itself is the source for that, and its capacity, census, and ownership are listed in Facility details above.
Does Northgate Care Center have any deficiencies or penalties? ▾
Northgate Care Center has multiple deficiencies and no penalties recorded by CMS; the counts are in the Facility details table. A count in this range makes it worth asking staff or the facility directly which findings were minor paperwork versus resident-care issues.
What are the alternatives to a nursing home in Iowa? ▾
In Iowa, alternatives include assisted living ($5,381/mo), home health aides ($7,836/mo), and adult day care ($1,614/mo).
Keep reading
Also see the Iowa elder-care overview and highest-rated states. Provider ID: 165338.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.