Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Altoona, Pennsylvania

CaringScore for Altoona, PA

CaringScore was designed to help millions of Americans find the best places to retire, age in place, or receive eldercare. The CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Altoona was based on more than 50 factors in three key categories: health, cost, and livability. By compiling and analyzing this data, Caring.com is able to rate the quality of life you or a loved one might expect should you choose continuing care retirement communities in Altoona.

CaringScore can range from 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and provides a quick way to compare cities, counties, and even specific zip codes. With a CaringScore of 6.4, Altoona rates above average for those seeking continuing care retirement communities.

The charts below highlight a few of the factors we used to calculate the CaringScore for Altoona. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Altoona, PA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Altoona, rates a region on a scale of 1 (less healthful) to 10 (more healthful). It's specifically tailored to anyone looking for continuing care retirement communities. The HealthScore for Altoona is based on the availability of healthcare resources, air and water quality, the overall health of the local population, and other key factors. With a HealthScore of 7, Altoona rates above average for those seeking continuing care retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults seeking continuing care retirement communities. At 247.8 physicians per capita, Altoona scores 12.4 percent better than the national average. Altoona scores about average in geriatricians per capita, with 1.6, and closely matches the national average in specialists per capita, with 20.9. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Altoona is 76.8 years -- 1.4 percent lower than most of the country. Air quality in Altoona -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 13.3 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Altoona's environmental health -- is 69.1 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Altoona, PA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	247.8	220.5
Geriatricians	1.6	1.3
Cardiologists	8.1	7.7
Oncologists	3.2	3.5
Orthopedists	8.1	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Altoona, PA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Altoona, rates the cost of living for older adults on a scale of 1 (more expensive) to 10 (less expensive). It's specifically tailored to people looking for continuing care retirement communities. The CostScore for Altoona is based on data such as the average monthly cost of continuing care retirement communities in the region, cost of living indices such as housing and healthcare, regional tax rates, and other key factors. With a CostScore of 7, the costs associated with continuing care retirement communities in Altoona are generally less expensive than the national average.

Because of the broad range of housing, service, and healthcare options available at continuing care retirement communities, no average monthly cost data is available for Altoona. The entry fee or purchase price for an independent living community can range from $50,000 to $500,000 or more, and typically requires an additional monthly service fee of $1,000 to $3,000 on average. The cost of living indices below provide the best proxy for comparing costs of continuing care retirement communities in Altoona to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Altoona indexes at 17.0 percent lower than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 6.0 percent cheaper than the national average, and the cost of housing is 54.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Altoona, PA
Aggregate Index	83
Healthcare Index	94
Housing Index	46
Food Index	101
Utilities Index	107
Transportation Index	104

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Altoona, PA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Altoona. On a scale of 1 (less livable) to 10 (more livable), it's a rating of the quality of life in a region, specifically tailored to those looking for continuing care retirement communities. The LivabilityScore for Altoona is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 4.7, Altoona is on par with the national average for continuing care retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for continuing care retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 191 days each year in Altoona, 6.8 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 17°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Altoona than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 81°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Altoona is 50.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate index is 4 of 10, which is in line with the national average. At $34,916 per year, the population of Altoona earns a lower than average median household income. Altoona has an unemployment rate of 7.80 percent, roughly 14.3 percent lower than the national average. And about 16.43 percent of the population in Altoona is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 24.8 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Altoona	Nat'l Avg
Parks	5.9	136.1
Libraries	6.4	18.8
Places of Worship	151.8	220.5
Public Transit	132	110.4
Grocery Stores	100.8	97.7
Pharmacies	37.2	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65