Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Chicago, Illinois

CaringScore for Chicago, IL

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 Chicago 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 Chicago.

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 4.4, Chicago rates below average for those seeking continuing care retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Chicago, IL

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Chicago, 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 Chicago 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 5.9, Chicago 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 255.4 physicians per capita, Chicago scores 15.8 percent better than the national average. Chicago scores 38.5 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 1.8, and closely matches the national average in specialists per capita, with 22.2. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Chicago is 78 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Chicago -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 91.6 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Chicago's environmental health -- trails the national average by 43.6 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Chicago, IL	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	255.4	220.5
Geriatricians	1.8	1.3
Cardiologists	9.5	7.7
Oncologists	4.7	3.5
Orthopedists	6.1	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Chicago, IL

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Chicago, 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 Chicago 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 3.7, the costs associated with continuing care retirement communities in Chicago are generally more 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 Chicago. 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 Chicago to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Chicago indexes at 16.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 6.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 35.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Chicago, IL
Aggregate Index	116
Healthcare Index	106
Housing Index	135
Food Index	114
Utilities Index	95
Transportation Index	119

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Chicago, IL

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Chicago. 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 Chicago is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 3, Chicago rates below 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 189 days each year in Chicago, 7.8 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 18°F in January, winters in Chicago tend to be similar to 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 Chicago is 125.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 50.0 percent higher than average. At $47,413 per year, the population of Chicago earns a lower than average median household income. Chicago has an unemployment rate of 9.30 percent, roughly equal to the national average. And about 10.75 percent of the population in Chicago is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 18.3 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Chicago	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0.9	136.1
Libraries	3.6	18.8
Places of Worship	43.6	220.5
Public Transit	1334.5	110.4
Grocery Stores	84	97.7
Pharmacies	11.1	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65