Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Columbia County, Georgia

CaringScore for Columbia County, GA

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 Columbia 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 Columbia.

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 6.2, Columbia 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 Columbia. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Columbia County, GA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Columbia, 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 Columbia 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 7.8, Columbia 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 243.3 physicians per capita, Columbia closely matches the national average. Columbia trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 30.8 percent, with 0.9, and scores 65.6 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 32.3. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Columbia is 77.9 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Columbia -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is average, and water quality -- another key measure of Columbia's environmental health -- is 45.5 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Columbia County, GA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	243.3	220.5
Geriatricians	0.9	1.3
Cardiologists	13.1	7.7
Oncologists	7.9	3.5
Orthopedists	10.5	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Columbia County, GA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Columbia, 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 Columbia 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 6.1, the costs associated with continuing care retirement communities in Columbia 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 Columbia. 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 Columbia to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Columbia is roughly equal to the national average. Average healthcare costs are 5.0 percent cheaper than the national average, and the cost of housing index is 93 of 10, which mirrors the rest of the country.

Cost of Living	Columbia County, GA
Aggregate Index	98
Healthcare Index	95
Housing Index	93
Food Index	106
Utilities Index	95
Transportation Index	94

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Columbia County, GA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Columbia. 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 Columbia is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 3.9, Columbia 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 218 days each year in Columbia, 6.3 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 30°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Columbia than in other parts of the country, and summers are often hotter than other places, averaging 91°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Columbia is 25.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent higher than average. At $68,174 per year, the population of Columbia earns a better than average median household income. Columbia has an unemployment rate of 6.80 percent, roughly 25.3 percent lower than the national average. And about 9.76 percent of the population in Columbia is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 25.8 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Columbia	Nat'l Avg
Parks	4	136.1
Libraries	2.6	18.8
Places of Worship	60.5	220.5
Public Transit	78.5	110.4
Grocery Stores	80.1	97.7
Pharmacies	13.2	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65