Survey names the best and worst cities in terms of aging
A survey of 1,000 Americans aged 65 and older found that almost 90% want to age in their own home. The study also listed the best and worst cities for aging based on cost of living, availability of care and life expectancy.
The questionnaireled by This old houseasked respondents about their “plans, priorities and perspectives on aging.” It also delved deeper into the demographic trends behind aging-in-place goals and the costs this often entails.
Crucially, 89% of respondents said they have a desire to continue living in their home as they age, a sentiment largely similar to other surveys of older Americans about where they want to live in their later years. Nearly 45% of respondents also said they would ‘refuse’ to move to a congregate care environment such as a nursing home.
Nearly half of respondents (47%) added that their current home is inadequate to meet the accessibility needs that typically accompany the natural aging process. And more than a third of respondents (36%) said they cannot afford to make accessibility renovations to their home to better support their preferences.
The top two priorities for most respondents when deciding where to age in place are accessibility to healthcare services (59%), followed closely by housing costs (54%).
In assessing the top cities in terms of aging, the outlet measured the typical monthly cost of homeownership in an area; regional price parity; elderly-relevant healthcare providers per 1,000 members of the elderly population; a quality score for home care assistants in a specific area; and life expectancy.
Taken together, these numbers indicate that Rochester, New York, is the best city in the country for aging in place, according to the findings. Rochester’s monthly homeownership averages $1,205. The city has 86 relevant caregivers per 1,000 seniors and a life expectancy of 78.6 years. The other cities rounding out the top five are Grand Rapids, Michigan; Cleveland; Pittsburgh; and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The five cities with the worst aging rates correspond to some of the most expensive markets in the country based on the same figures. This includes California’s neighbors San Francisco and Oakland, Seattle, Los Angeles and Denver.
