Editor’s Note: This article was updated Oct. 7 with revised information from Caring.com that changed some of the previously announced rankings.
San Francisco is No. 1 and Rio Rancho, NM, is No. 302, last place, in senior living and care referral service Caring.com’s 2019 Senior Living Report on the Best and Worst Places for Seniors to Live list, released today.
The report grades all 50 states, and cities within the states, using six different categories involving 70 total metrics, each chosen by Caring because they were deemed to play a key role in determining the opportunity for older adults in a given area to live full, happy lives.
Senior living and housing — including factors such as age diversity, availability of multifamily housing, housing cost burden, zero-step entrances, housing costs and availability of subsidized housing — accounted for 22% of the overall rankings.
Healthcare also accounted for 22% of the overall rankings. Other factors considered included community involvement, transportation, quality of life and affordability.
The top 10 best cities, according to Caring:
1. San Francisco
2. Fredericksburg, VA
3. Boston
4. Portland, ME
5. Madison, WI
6. Chapel Hill, NC
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Lancaster, PA
9. Boulder, CO
10. St. Paul, MN
The top 10 worst cities, according to Caring:
293. Riverside, CA
294. Bakersfield, CA
295. Bowie, MD
296. Port Charlotte, FL
297. Port St. Lucie, FL
298. Spring, TX
299. Stockton, CA
300. Hemet, CA
301. Cape Coral, FL
302. Rio Rancho, NM
Based on senior living and housing only, the top five cities are Fredericksburg, VA (No. 1); Atlanta; Palm Beach, FL; Rochester, NY; and Wilmington, DE, according to Caring.
The rankings website also includes information on average costs for various levels of care in states and cities, including independent living, assisted living, memory care, nursing homes and continuing care retirement communities.
