There are nearly 75 million Baby Boomers in the U.S., and many of them have already hit — or are close to hitting — retirement age. (Think about this: In 12 years, the last of the Boomers will hit this milestone.) As they do, their minds naturally turn to questions of not only
what
they’ll do with their time, but also
where
they want to spend it. While this should be a fun and exciting task to take on, many seniors can become overwhelmed by all of the factors they need to consider, such as the quality of care available in a given area, cost of living, and access to senior care services.
To help make the decision-making process a little easier, Caring.com recently pulled together its annual list of the states that — in its words — “offer the best and worst mixture of senior services, affordability, and overall quality of care for seniors.”
“Unlike many roundups of ‘best places’ for seniors to live,” writes Scott Morris, a Caring.com author, “our survey was designed to capture the factors that make a state a healthy, affordable environment for the elderly.”
Without further ado, here are Caring.com’s lists of the 10 best states — and 10 worst states — for seniors to live in.
The 10 Best States for Seniors
According to Caring.com, these are the 10 best states for seniors to live in:
- Utah
Utah hits the sweet spot in terms of quality of life, health care, and affordable cost of living.
- Iowa
Easy access to quality care and affordable living make Iowa an ideal home for seniors.
- South Carolina
Lower cost of living is a huge selling point for South Carolina, but this state also offers some of the most affordable health and senior care around.
- Washington
Quality of life and easy access helped secure Washington’s #4 rank, even though its cost of living is slightly higher than others on the list.
- Nebraska
As one of the cheapest states for senior care facilities, Nebraska is also ranked high on the list when it comes to a senior’s overall quality of life.
- Arizona
Arizona’s home health care and senior care facilities are right around the national average in terms of cost. The costs associated with Arizona’s senior care facilities and home health care is right around the national average, and quality of life and access to health care access are ranked pretty high, too.
- California
Health care in California is ranked some of the best in the country, and quality of living for seniors is ranked well, too. Cost is slightly higher but not enough to be prohibitive.
- Idaho
Did you know that in Idaho, Social Security benefits and prescription drugs aren’t taxable? The area also hits the national median for costs of care and living.
- Colorado
Health care and quality of life are ranked highly in this area, even though the costs of living and care are slightly higher.
- Oregon
This area is ranked 3rd in the country for quality of life and healthcare, although senior care costs are slightly higher than the national average.
The 10 Worst States for Seniors
According to Caring.com, these are the 10 worst states for seniors to live in:
- West Virginia
West Virginia topped Caring.com’s list of the worst states to grow old. Although it’s relatively affordable to live there as a senior, it came in at #42 in Caring.com reviews and #50 for overall well-being.
- Indiana
Indiana seemed to have a similar problem to West Virginia. Despite relatively low care costs, Indiana’s seniors report that their quality of life isn’t all its cracked up to be.
- New York
Apparently, New York ranked fairly low on almost all of the survey’s categories, most notably on senior care costs. According to Morris, “Senior care is expensive [in New York], including day care, assisted living facilities and especially nursing homes, which can cost $135,960 or more.”
- North Dakota
This area ranked the highest in cost of private nursing home care and in-home care.
- Wyoming
Residents rank their social life in Wyoming as one of the lowest in the country, and senior care is much more expensive than the overall cost of living.
- New Jersey
The care providers and facilities in New Jersey are some of the most expensive while also being the lowest quality in the country.
- Mississippi
Even though the cost of living is affordable here, access to quality care is lower than in most states.
- Ohio
Older residents here report less satisfaction and overall health.
- Kentucky
Kentucky ranked 49th out of 50 for overall well-being.
- Rhode Island
The cost of senior care in Rhode Island is definitely prohibitive for money-minded seniors.
Full List of Results by State
Want to see where all 50 states landed on Caring.com’s ranking? Take a look at the table below.
| State | Overall Rank | Quality of Life Rank | Cost Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 1 | 7 | 14 |
| Iowa | 2 | 8 | 17 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 22 | 6 |
| Washington | 4 | 1 | 38 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 14 | 20 |
| Arizona | 6 | 11 | 23 |
| California | 7 | 3 | 36 |
| Idaho | 8 | 15 | 23 |
| Colorado | 9 | 8 | 32 |
| Oregon | 10 | 3 | 39 |
| Minnesota | 11 | 6 | 35 |
| Montana | 12 | 10 | 30 |
| Wisconsin | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| Hawaii | 14 | 5 | 46 |
| South Dakota | 15 | 16 | 27 |
| Alaska | 16 | 2 | 50 |
| Texas | 17 | 37 | 5 |
| Nevada | 18 | 23 | 25 |
| Arkansas | 19 | 36 | 9 |
| Georgia | 20 | 41 | 3 |
| Maryland | 21 | 20 | 31 |
| New Hampshire | 22 | 13 | 48 |
| Florida | 23 | 33 | 16 |
| Kansas | 24 | 31 | 18 |
| Virginia | 25 | 28 | 19 |
| Missouri | 26 | 40 | 7 |
| North Carolina | 27 | 39 | 8 |
| Alabama | 28 | 44 | 1 |
| Connecticut | 29 | 17 | 41 |
| Tennessee | 30 | 42 | 11 |
| Delaware | 31 | 19 | 37 |
| Louisiana | 32 | 46 | 2 |
| Michigan | 33 | 27 | 28 |
| Illinois | 34 | 35 | 22 |
| New Mexico | 35 | 29 | 26 |
| Vermont | 36 | 21 | 43 |
| Oklahoma | 37 | 47 | 4 |
| Massachusetts | 38 | 18 | 49 |
| Pennsylvania | 39 | 31 | 29 |
| Maine | 40 | 24 | 44 |
| Rhode Island | 41 | 25 | 42 |
| Kentucky | 42 | 45 | 12 |
| Ohio | 43 | 43 | 15 |
| Mississippi | 44 | 49 | 9 |
| New Jersey | 45 | 26 | 40 |
| Wyoming | 46 | 38 | 32 |
| North Dakota | 47 | 30 | 45 |
| New York | 48 | 34 | 46 |
| Indiana | 49 | 48 | 29 |
| West Virginia | 50 | 50 | 13 |
Aging in the Right Place
Seniors have a lot to take into account when they’re looking for a new place to settle down. From proximity to family support, cost of living, and even overall life satisfaction, people want to make sure they choose the right place once they reach “a certain age.”
“I think when people are looking to move they need to think long-term,” says Debbie Fins, a licensed clinical social worker, board member of the Aging Life Care Association, and president of Deborah Fins Associates, a geriatric care management services organization in Worcester, MA. “They should look at what the medical care is like. Can they get a doctor? What are the support systems for aging? And can they afford to live there?”
If you’re looking for senior care for yourself or a loved one, there are plenty of senior care options to explore. These different care types run the gamut in terms of the services they provide and the kinds of licensing and experience required to provide them. For this reason, it’s really important that you identify yours or your loved one’s current care needs, along with your budget, before you move forward with selecting a caregiver.
Best & Worst States to Grow Old — Methodology
According to Caring.com, “In addition to analyzing Caring.com data—which includes nearly 150,000 reviews of senior care facilities submitted by its readers in all 50 states and this year’s list of top-rated senior living facilities and in-home care agencies on Caring.com (Caring Stars)—our study also incorporated Genworth’s 2016 Cost of Care Survey, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, and the Long-Term Services & Supports State Scorecard, which is a joint effort between AARP, The Commonwealth Fund, and the SCAN Foundation.”
