These States Are Most ‘Livable’ for Seniors

Thanks in part to assisted living costs that are well below the national average, Virginia has nabbed the title of most livable state in the country for seniors.

Assisted living in the Old Dominion costs an average of $34,989 per year, which is well below the national average of $42,700, according to SeniorAdvice, an online directory connecting consumers with senior living and care providers. The Austin-based company recently unveiled its Livability Index, which it is presenting as a resource that can help inform the search for senior living options by offering a more holistic look at certain locations.

To generate the list of most livable states, the Index crunched over 100 data points from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau and Medicare in order to generate a location’s “SeniorScore.” The score can be broken down into four categories: health and safety, recreation and leisure, finance, and general quality of life.

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Virginia’s overall score was 78, compared with a national average of 72. Its component scores were: 65 for health and safety; 63 for recreation and leisure; 75 for finances; and 72 for general quality of life.

In addition to reasonable assisted living costs, Virginia’s high score for finances stemmed from lower than average property taxes, sales tax, nursing home costs, and home health care costs, and a low unemployment rate. 

The top 10 most livable states were:

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1. Virginia

2. Hawaii

3. Nebraska

4. Oklahoma

5. Kansas

6. Maryland

7. Florida

8. Texas

9. Arizona

10. West Virginia

With its average annual temperature of 74.8 degrees fahrenheit, Hawaii scored high (85%) in general quality of life, while Nebraska excelled in the area of finance (69%).

States with large swaths of wilderness are not as livable for seniors, given that the bottom five states in the rankings were North Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska.

Drilling down to metro areas, warm weather locations dominated, with Houston, Miami, Las Vegas, and San Diego all ranking highly. 

The Livability Index comes on the heels of the United Health Foundation’s rankings of the healthiest states for seniors. The only state to appear in the top 10 on both lists was Hawaii. 

Written by Tim Mullaney

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