Stamford Senior AdvisorHow is a residential care home different from assisted living in Connecticut?
In assisted living the building is a managed residential community and care comes from a separately licensed assisted living services agency, while a residential care home holds its own DPH license and its own staff provide room, board, supervision and help with medications.
Assisted living residents usually have a private apartment with a kitchenette and a lockable door, and buy care in levels. Residential care home residents usually have a private or shared room in a smaller household, with meals and supervision built into one monthly rate.
Which one gives more care?
Assisted living can usually deliver more hands-on personal care and nursing oversight, because the ALSA has an RN supervisor and aides who can be scheduled to a resident's assessed needs, while a residential care home serves people who need supervision and help but are largely independent.
Neither is a nursing home. If a parent needs two people to transfer or continuous skilled nursing, look at nursing homes instead.
How many of each are licensed in Fairfield County?
DPH's eLicense export (retrieved October 31, 2026) shows 43 active assisted living services agency licenses in Fairfield County's 23 towns, most of them in Stamford (7), Darien (3) and Newtown (3). DPH's license export shows 10 active residential care home licenses in Fairfield County, in Bethel, Bridgeport, Danbury, Greenwich, Norwalk, Shelton, Stamford.
The difference in numbers matters: residential care homes are scarce in the county and can have waiting lists, while assisted living choices are wider but more expensive, at a 2025 Connecticut median of about $8,676 a month.
Which costs less?
Residential care homes are generally less expensive than assisted living because the setting is simpler and care is lighter, and some accept residents who rely on Social Security, SSI with Connecticut's state supplement or VA pension; assisted living usually requires substantial private income or savings.
No published median exists for residential care homes in Connecticut, so ask each home for its monthly rate and what it includes. Ask assisted living communities for both the MRC rent and the ALSA care charges.
At a glance
| Assisted living (ALSA) | Residential care home | |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds the license | The care agency; the building registers as an MRC | The home itself |
| Setting | Apartments, often in large communities | Rooms in a smaller household |
| Care | Assessed levels, RN supervisor, aides | Supervision, meals, medication help |
Sources include the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (19-13-D105 and related sections), the Connecticut General Statutes as summarized by the Office of Legislative Research, DPH, DSS and Aging and Disability Services pages, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
