Thirty-one of the country's best nursing homes are in Tennessee, according to U.S. News and World Report, which on Tuesday released its annual list for 2017-18.

Twenty-three Tennessee nursing homes earned a perfect score of 5 on the list, including six in the Knoxville area: NHC Healthcare Fort Sanders and NHC Healthcare Farragut in Knoxville; Life Care Center of Morgan County in Wartburg; Ridgeview Terrace of Life Care in Rutledge; Life Care Center of Blount County in Louisville; and Baptist Health Care Center in Lenoir City. Fort Sanders Sevier Nursing Home in Sevierville scored 4.5.

Along with the list, U.S. News and World Report will release updates to its Nursing Home Finder, which lets people search for a facility by location, distance, Medicare or Medicaid coverage, and size. Each nursing home is rated on a five-level scale, from "Top Performing" to "Poor," and includes information on care, safety, health inspections, staffing and other criteria.