Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Urbandale, Iowa

CaringScore for Urbandale, IA

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 Urbandale 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 Urbandale.

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 7.1, Urbandale 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 Urbandale. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Urbandale, IA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Urbandale, 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 Urbandale 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 7.1, Urbandale 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 279.3 physicians per capita, Urbandale scores 26.7 percent better than the national average. Urbandale scores about average in geriatricians per capita, with 1.4, and scores 34.9 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 26.3. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Urbandale is 78.9 years -- 1.3 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Urbandale -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 21.7 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Urbandale's environmental health -- is 9.1 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Urbandale, IA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	279.3	220.5
Geriatricians	1.4	1.3
Cardiologists	11.3	7.7
Oncologists	4.6	3.5
Orthopedists	9	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Urbandale, IA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Urbandale, 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 Urbandale 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 7.3, the costs associated with continuing care retirement communities in Urbandale 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 Urbandale. 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 Urbandale to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Urbandale is roughly equal to the national average. Average healthcare costs are 13.0 percent cheaper than the national average, and the cost of housing index is 107 of 10, which mirrors the rest of the country.

Cost of Living	Urbandale, IA
Aggregate Index	96
Healthcare Index	87
Housing Index	107
Food Index	94
Utilities Index	91
Transportation Index	99

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Urbandale, IA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for continuing care retirement communities in Urbandale. 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 Urbandale is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 6.7, Urbandale 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 Urbandale, which is about average in the U.S. With an average temperature of 12°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Urbandale 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 Urbandale is 25.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent lower than average. At $70,816 per year, the population of Urbandale earns a better than average median household income. Urbandale has an unemployment rate of 4.80 percent, roughly 47.3 percent lower than the national average. And about 11.43 percent of the population in Urbandale is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 13.1 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Urbandale	Nat'l Avg
Parks	3.7	136.1
Libraries	4.2	18.8
Places of Worship	76.9	220.5
Public Transit	157.5	110.4
Grocery Stores	48.8	97.7
Pharmacies	17.1	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65