Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Mercer County, New Jersey

CaringScore for Mercer County, NJ

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 Mercer 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 Mercer.

A 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 5.2, Mercer is on par with the national average for those seeking continuing care retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Mercer County, NJ

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Mercer, 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 Mercer 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, Mercer 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 309.7 physicians per capita, Mercer scores 40.5 percent better than the national average. Mercer scores 92.3 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 2.5, and scores 63.6 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 31.9. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Mercer is 78.8 years -- 1.2 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Mercer -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 69.9 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Mercer's environmental health -- trails the national average by 50.9 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Mercer County, NJ	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	309.7	220.5
Geriatricians	2.5	1.3
Cardiologists	13.4	7.7
Oncologists	4.6	3.5
Orthopedists	11.5	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Mercer County, NJ

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Mercer, 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 Mercer 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 2.6, the costs associated with continuing care retirement communities in Mercer 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 Mercer. 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 Mercer to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Mercer indexes at 30.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 11.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 69.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Mercer County, NJ
Aggregate Index	130
Healthcare Index	111
Housing Index	169
Food Index	109
Utilities Index	127
Transportation Index	102

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Mercer County, NJ

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Mercer. 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 Mercer is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 6.1, Mercer 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 205 days each year in Mercer, which is about average in the U.S. With an average temperature of 24°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Mercer than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 85°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Mercer is 25.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent lower than average. At $72,633 per year, the population of Mercer earns a better than average median household income. Mercer has an unemployment rate of 7.90 percent, roughly 13.2 percent lower than the national average. And about 12.59 percent of the population in Mercer is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which matches the national average.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Mercer	Nat'l Avg
Parks	2.8	136.1
Libraries	4.6	18.8
Places of Worship	60.7	220.5
Public Transit	0	110.4
Grocery Stores	106.1	97.7
Pharmacies	17.1	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65