Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Sussex County, Delaware

CaringScore for Sussex County, DE

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 Sussex 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 Sussex.

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 4.5, Sussex 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 Sussex. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Sussex County, DE

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Sussex, 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 Sussex 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 5.2, Sussex is on par with the national 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 184.2 physicians per capita, Sussex trails the national average by 16.5 percent. Sussex scores 61.5 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 2.1, and closely matches the national average in specialists per capita, with 18.1. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Sussex is 77.9 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Sussex -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 69.9 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Sussex's environmental health -- trails the national average by 21.8 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Sussex County, DE	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	184.2	220.5
Geriatricians	2.1	1.3
Cardiologists	7.8	7.7
Oncologists	2.1	3.5
Orthopedists	6.2	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Sussex County, DE

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Sussex, 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 Sussex 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 4.4, the costs associated with continuing care retirement communities in Sussex 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 Sussex. 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 Sussex to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Sussex indexes at 14.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 4.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 30.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Sussex County, DE
Aggregate Index	114
Healthcare Index	104
Housing Index	130
Food Index	111
Utilities Index	114
Transportation Index	99

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Sussex County, DE

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Sussex. 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 Sussex is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 3.6, Sussex 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 204 days each year in Sussex, which is about average in the U.S. With an average temperature of 26°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Sussex than in other parts of the country, and summers often mirror nationwide seasonal trends, averaging 86°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Sussex is 75.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 50.0 percent higher than average. At $49,801 per year, the population of Sussex earns a median household income on par with the national average. Sussex has an unemployment rate of 8.70 percent, roughly equal to the national average. And about 20.55 percent of the population in Sussex is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 56.2 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Sussex	Nat'l Avg
Parks	7.3	136.1
Libraries	7.9	18.8
Places of Worship	117.5	220.5
Public Transit	0	110.4
Grocery Stores	101.5	97.7
Pharmacies	12.6	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65