Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Columbus, North Carolina

CaringScore for Columbus, 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 Columbus 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 Columbus.

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 5.9, Columbus 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 Columbus. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Columbus, NC

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Columbus, 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 Columbus 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 6.3, Columbus 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. At just 151.9 physicians per capita, Columbus trails the national average by 31.1 percent. Columbus scores 300.0 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 5.2, 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 Columbus is 78 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Columbus -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 14.5 percent above average, and water quality -- another key measure of Columbus's environmental health -- trails the national average by 27.3 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Columbus, NC	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	151.9	220.5
Geriatricians	5.2	1.3
Cardiologists	5.2	7.7
Oncologists	0	3.5
Orthopedists	10.4	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Columbus, NC

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Columbus, 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 Columbus 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 5.3, Columbus 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 Columbus. 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 Columbus to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Columbus is roughly equal to the national average. Average healthcare costs are 4.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 17.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Columbus, NC
Aggregate Index	96
Healthcare Index	104
Housing Index	83
Food Index	102
Utilities Index	98
Transportation Index	97

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Columbus, NC

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Columbus. 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 Columbus is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 6.1, Columbus 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 214 days each year in Columbus, 4.4 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 31°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Columbus than in other parts of the country, and summers are often hotter than other places, averaging 89°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Columbus is 25.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 75.0 percent higher than average. At $44,626 per year, the population of Columbus earns a lower than average median household income. Columbus has an unemployment rate of 7.80 percent, roughly 14.3 percent lower than the national average. And about 41.95 percent of the population in Columbus is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 218.8 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Columbus	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0	136.1
Libraries	15.5	18.8
Places of Worship	272.9	220.5
Public Transit	0	110.4
Grocery Stores	583.1	97.7
Pharmacies	291.6	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65