Hawai'i has the nation's third-highest nursing home care costs, according to a new survey from AARP.

The state's average cost of $295 a day for a private room in a nursing home was topped only by Alaska at $515 and Connecticut at $328.

Long-term-care costs and availability of nursing homes in Hawai'i is a growing issue for the state as its population ages. A 2006 AARP study found Hawai'i is 48th in the nation in a long-term-care beds ranking.

The state has 23 beds per 1,000 people older than 65. That's less than half the national average of 47 beds per 1,000.

The problem is forecast to get worse because Hawai'i's over-65 population is forecast to grow faster than the national average.

The results are being published by AARP Bulletin and show most states have average daily rates that are less than $200 daily.

Hawai'i's average was more than twice what people paid in 10 states.

The two least-expensive states on the list were Louisiana, with an average of $125 daily, and Missouri, which was at $126 daily.