Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Buncombe County, North Carolina

CaringScore for Buncombe County, NC

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 Buncombe 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 Buncombe.

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 6.6, Buncombe 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 Buncombe. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Buncombe County, NC

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Buncombe, 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 Buncombe 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 8.5, Buncombe 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 395.2 physicians per capita, Buncombe scores 79.2 percent better than the national average. Buncombe trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 30.8 percent, with 0.9, and scores 88.7 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 36.8. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Buncombe is 77.7 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Buncombe -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is average, and water quality -- another key measure of Buncombe's environmental health -- is 16.4 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Buncombe County, NC	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	395.2	220.5
Geriatricians	0.9	1.3
Cardiologists	12.8	7.7
Oncologists	9	3.5
Orthopedists	14.1	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Buncombe County, NC

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Buncombe, 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 Buncombe is based on data such as the average monthly cost of continuing care retirement communities in the region, the cost of housing and healthcare, regional tax rates, and other key factors. With a CostScore of 4.8, Buncombe is on par with the national average for continuing care retirement communities.

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 Buncombe. 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 Buncombe to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Buncombe indexes at 6.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs index at 101 of 10, roughly the same as the national average, and the cost of housing index is 111 of 10, which mirrors the rest of the country.

Cost of Living	Buncombe County, NC
Aggregate Index	106
Healthcare Index	101
Housing Index	111
Food Index	98
Utilities Index	113
Transportation Index	98

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Buncombe County, NC

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Buncombe. 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 Buncombe is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 6.2, Buncombe rates above 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 212 days each year in Buncombe, 3.4 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 26°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Buncombe than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 83°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Buncombe is 25.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate index is 4 of 10, which is in line with the national average. At $43,865 per year, the population of Buncombe earns a lower than average median household income. Buncombe has an unemployment rate of 7.70 percent, roughly 15.4 percent lower than the national average. And about 16.05 percent of the population in Buncombe is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 22.0 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Buncombe	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0.2	136.1
Libraries	5.6	18.8
Places of Worship	150.7	220.5
Public Transit	48.9	110.4
Grocery Stores	109.7	97.7
Pharmacies	13	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65