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AARP’s Top 100 Places to Live for Older Adults
Communities with great health care, an excellent social scene and other pluses made the cut
The AARP Livability Index Platform: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Data and Insights
What cities and towns have the qualities older adults value, such as a good job market, walkability and affordable housing? AARP’s Livability Index platform evaluates communities based on these criteria and more to come up with its annual list of best places to live.
Using a consistent set of indicators important to people of all ages, including older adults, the index “creates a fair measuring stick to compare locations,” says Rodney Harrell, AARP’s vice president of family, home and community, and one of the creators of the index.
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Which places are at the top of the list? Separated into four categories by population size, this year’s No. 1 spots went to: San Francisco; Arlington County, Virginia; Cliffside Park, New Jersey; and Great Neck Plaza, New York.
Check out the rest of the winners by population size:
Very large | Large | Medium | Small
How the ranking works
For each location, the index measures 61 indicators across seven different categories of livability. Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s included in each category:
- Housing: This metric looks at the cost and availability of housing in an area, as well as the variety of housing options for people of all ages and abilities.
- Neighborhood: Neighborhoods are scored based on their walkability, safety, and access to shops, groceries, restaurants, public transportation and a variety of jobs.
- Transportation: The index measures a community’s access to various types of transportation, including public transit, walking, cycling and driving.
- Environment: This category assigns scores based on things like a community’s pollution levels and its plans to address the impacts of extreme weather and natural disasters.
- Health: Health scores are based on whether residents have easy access to quality health care and physical activity, and whether the community fosters healthy behaviors.
- Engagement: Does an area encourage community involvement and diverse social interactions? The answer is measured via metrics like voter participation, nondiscrimination laws, and access to cultural venues, social outlets and high-speed internet.
- Opportunity: The opportunity score (calculated by input from our technical advisory panel and using the Index) determines things like the availability of jobs with living wages, school-district performance and whether the community is multigenerational.
The myth of the perfect place to live
Shannon Guzman, AARP director of housing and livable communities, says there is no such thing as a perfect community.
“All of these communities are on a continuum of livability,” Guzman says. “We score communities on a scale of zero to 100. The average score is 50.”
This is how San Francisco can top the livability index for very large communities for the sixth year in a row, even though the area’s monthly housing costs are three times higher than the U.S. median ($2,693 compared to $943 nationally). San Francisco excels in other metrics, especially health, boasting excellent access to health care, universal access to exercise opportunities and low smoking rates.
“There isn't one size or one type of community that fits all,” Harrell says. “It’s about knowing how well your community will work for you today and into the future.”
Get healthy, stay healthy in very large communities: Population 500,000+
Big cities like San Francisco offer easy access to quality medical care as well as parks, jobs and social activities.
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From San Francisco (in the No. 1 spot) on down, the big, bustling communities on this list offer good transportation options and proximity to parks, libraries, grocery stores and jobs. Residents also have plenty of opportunities for social interaction and civic engagement.
In large communities it’s typically easier to make healthy choices; having local farmers markets within walking distance, for example, encourages exercise and healthy eating. Add in the fact that big cities offer easy access to quality medical care, and it’s clear why the communities on this list score so well in the health category.
Fifteen of these top 25 communities — including San Francisco — are members of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, a collection of cities, towns and states that have committed to creating communities responsive to the needs of all ages.
There are two newcomers to this year’s list: King County in Washington state and Jefferson County in Colorado.
- San Francisco, California
- Montgomery County, Maryland
- Seattle, Washington
- Ramsey County, Minnesota
- Fairfax County, Virginia
- New York, New York
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Nassau County, New York
- Portland, Oregon
- Bergen County, New Jersey
- Hennepin County, Minnesota
- Hempstead, New York
- Salt Lake County, Utah
- Washington, D.C.
- Hudson County, New Jersey
- Dane County, Wisconsin
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Multnomah County, Oregon
- Denver, Colorado
- Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- Union County, New Jersey
- Washington County, Oregon
- King County, Washington
- San Mateo County, California
- Jefferson County, Colorado
Get involved in large communities: Population 100,000 to 499,999
One of Arlington’s strengths is its ADA-compliant bus system, which accommodates people with limited mobility. There are also many opportunities for healthy living, such as kayaking on the Potomac River.
Jonathan Kozowyk/Courtesy stayarlington.com
The top 25 large communities excel in the engagement category, offering numerous and diverse opportunities for civic involvement and personal connection. Boulder, Colorado, jumped from the No. 10 spot to No. 6 in this year’s ranking because of its high engagement score — the highest on the list. That score was driven in part by the city’s voter participation laws, LGBTQ+ antidiscrimination statutes and local human rights commission.
Arlington County, Virginia, holds the top large-community spot for the second year in a row. One of Arlington’s strengths is its ADA-compliant bus system, which accommodates people with limited mobility.
Cambridge, Massachusetts, and St. Paul, Minnesota, maintained their top-five rankings this year, but were joined by 11 newcomers to the list, including Durham, North Carolina (No. 11, the highest ranked newbie); Bellevue, Washington (No. 13); Howard County, Maryland (No. 15); Cumberland County, Pennsylvania (No. 17); and all the communities on the list from 19 through 25.
- Arlington County, Virginia
- Alexandria, Virginia
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- St. Paul, Minnesota
- Boulder, Colorado
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- North Hempstead, New York
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Chittenden County, Vermont
- Durham, North Carolina
- Marin County, California
- Bellevue, Washington
- Rochester, Minnesota
- Howard County, Maryland
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
- Provo, Utah
- Durham County, North Carolina
- Orange County, North Carolina
- Boulder County, Colorado
- Dallas County, Iowa
- Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Elizabeth, New Jersey
Little need to drive in many of these midsize communities: Population 25,000 to 99,999
The majority of the top 25 midsize communities, such as Cliffside, N.J.,have robust public transportation, including rail, light-rail, metro and buses, giving residents the ability to reach amenities without a car.
Courtesy Borough of Cliffside Park
Cliffside Park, New Jersey, snagged the No. 1 midsize community spot again this year, offering a glimpse into what makes these areas so great. Compared to the national average, it offers more convenient access to a diverse mix of jobs, libraries, groceries, parks and farmers markets, resulting in impressive scores in the neighborhood category.
The majority of the top 25 midsize communities have robust public transportation, including rail, light-rail, metro and buses, giving residents the ability to reach amenities without a car.
Communities in the Northeast are well represented here, constituting 17 of the top 25 spots, and 10 newcomers appear on the list this year. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, debuts at No. 6, while Juneau, Alaska; Lodi, New Jersey; Gaithersburg, Maryland; and Millcreek, Utah, take Nos. 13 through 16, respectively. The five other communities new to the list fill out the last spots in the top 25.
- Cliffside Park, New Jersey
- Fort Lee, New Jersey
- Portland, Maine
- Burlington, Vermont
- Rockville, Maryland
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Somerville, Massachusetts
- Brookline, Massachusetts
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- Belmont, Massachusetts
- Bergenfield, New Jersey
- Union City, New Jersey
- Juneau, Alaska
- Lodi, New Jersey
- Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Millcreek, Utah
- Hoboken, New Jersey
- Bozeman, Montana
- Arlington, Massachusetts
- Long Beach, New York
- Valley Stream, New York
- Holladay, Utah
- Cottonwood Heights, Utah
- Malden, Massachusetts
- Watertown, Massachusetts
Great places to get to know your neighbors: Population 5,000 to 24,999
Great Neck Plaza, N.Y. and other small communities that made the list provide many opportunities to socialize and build community together.
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Great Neck Plaza, New York, holds the top spot for small communities, with impressive neighborhood and transportation scores that outrank every one of the top 25 large communities and many of the top 25 midsize and very large communities as well.
Residents of small communities typically experience lower income inequality, more jobs per worker and greater age diversity compared to the national average. In the opportunity category, Knoxville, Iowa — in the No. 5 spot overall — has a perfect 100 score, while Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; Pella, Iowa; Kasson, Minnesota; and Los Alamos, New Mexico, all scored over 90. These multigenerational communities offer everyone the opportunity to thrive.
These small communities also score well in engagement, so residents have plenty of opportunities to socialize together, work together, build community together and effect positive change together.
Seven new communities join the top 25 list this year: Manorhaven, New York; New Ulm, Minnesota; Wallington, New Jersey; St. Anthony, Minnesota; Marshall, Minnesota; Fairfax, California; and Vienna, Virginia.
- Great Neck Plaza, New York
- Falls Church, Virginia
- Pella, Iowa
- Aspen, Colorado
- Knoxville, Iowa
- Los Alamos, New Mexico
- Takoma Park, Maryland
- Orange City, Iowa
- Salida, Colorado
- Williston Park, New York
- Montpelier, Vermont
- Fairview, New Jersey
- Manorhaven, New York
- New Ulm, Minnesota
- Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
- Wallington, New Jersey
- La Crescent, Minnesota
- Winooski, Vermont
- St. Anthony, Minnesota
- Marshall, Minnesota
- Winterset, Iowa
- Fairfax, California
- New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
- Vienna, Virginia
- Kasson, Minnesota
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