What was DSP turnover in 2023?

39.7%, according to the January 2026 Case for Inclusion snapshot. It was the first time turnover fell below 40% since national data collection began in 2014.

What did DSPs earn in 2023?

A national average of $17.20 an hour, which UCP and ANCOR said is still below living wage benchmarks in every state.

How many people are waiting for HCBS?

As of the snapshot, 552,339 people with I/DD were on state waiting or interest lists, up 8% since 2024.

DSP turnover under 40% in 2023, first since 2014

A Case for Inclusion snapshot released Jan. 14, 2026, put 2023 DSP turnover at 39.7%, the first reading under 40% since 2014, with pay at $17.20.

Direct Support News desk · January 27, 2026 · Updated September 26, 2026 · 2 min read

Turnover among direct support professionals fell to 39.7% in 2023, the first time it has dropped below 40% since national data collection began in 2014. The finding comes from the Case for Inclusion Data Snapshot released on Jan. 14, 2026 by United Cerebral Palsy and ANCOR. Disability Scoop reported on it Jan. 27.

Wages and vacancies

DSP wages rose to a national average of $17.20 an hour in 2023, according to UCP's release. Full-time vacancy rates fell to 12.2% and part-time vacancies to 14.6%. Even so, the groups said DSP wages remain below living wage benchmarks in every state.

The report credits much of the improvement to $26.3 billion in temporary recruitment and retention funding from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. That money had to be spent by March 2025.

Staffing still strained

The release also cited separate 2025 ANCOR research: 88% of providers reported moderate or severe staffing challenges, 62% had turned away new referrals and 29% had discontinued programs or services because of staffing.

Waiting lists and costs

As of the snapshot, 552,339 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were on state waiting or interest lists for home and community-based services, an 8% increase since 2024. The report found that 94% of people with I/DD receiving Medicaid services get them through HCBS, at an average of $49,723 per person a year, compared with $111,325 in institutional settings.

Because federal law does not require states to offer HCBS, the groups warned that states facing shortfalls after the 2025 reconciliation law's Medicaid cuts may scale those services back. Their recommendations include a federal occupational classification for DSPs, stronger Medicaid funding for HCBS and better oversight of reimbursement rates.

ANCOR CEO Barbara Merrill called the gains "modest" and said they were only possible because of targeted but time-limited investments.

Why this matters for providers and DSPs

The data offer evidence that targeted funding does stabilize the workforce. Providers and advocates can use it to argue that cutting funding now risks undoing progress that took years to build.