Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Palo Alto, California

CaringScore for Palo Alto, CA

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 Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto.

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 5.7, Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Palo Alto, CA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Palo Alto, 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 Palo Alto 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 6.5, Palo Alto 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 263.9 physicians per capita, Palo Alto scores 19.7 percent better than the national average. Palo Alto scores about average in geriatricians per capita, with 1.2, and closely matches the national average in specialists per capita, with 21.1. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Palo Alto is 82.2 years -- 5.5 percent higher than most of the country. The average life expectancy from birth in Palo Alto is 82.2 years -- 5.5 percent higher than most of the country. and water quality -- another key measure of Palo Alto's environmental health -- trails the national average by 27.3 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Palo Alto, CA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	263.9	220.5
Geriatricians	1.2	1.3
Cardiologists	9.1	7.7
Oncologists	4.1	3.5
Orthopedists	6.7	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Palo Alto, CA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Palo Alto, 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 Palo Alto 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 2.2, the costs associated with continuing care retirement communities in Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto. 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 Palo Alto to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Palo Alto indexes at 141.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 19.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 467.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Palo Alto, CA
Aggregate Index	241
Healthcare Index	119
Housing Index	567
Food Index	112
Utilities Index	140
Transportation Index	120

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Palo Alto, CA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Palo Alto. 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 Palo Alto is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 9.3, Palo Alto 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 261 days each year in Palo Alto, 27.3 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 39°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Palo Alto than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 78°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Palo Alto 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 $106,237 per year, the population of Palo Alto earns a better than average median household income. Palo Alto has an unemployment rate of 5.60 percent, roughly 38.5 percent lower than the national average. And about 17.01 percent of the population in Palo Alto is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 29.3 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Palo Alto	"Nat'l Avg"
Parks	6.4	136.1
Libraries	2.3	18.8
Places of Worship	40.8	220.5
Public Transit	191.7	110.4
Grocery Stores	106.3	97.7
Pharmacies	14.7	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65