Retirement Communities in Asheville, North Carolina

CaringScore for Asheville, NC

CaringScore was designed to help millions of Americans find the best places to retire, age in place, or receive eldercare. The CaringScore for retirement communities in Asheville 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 retirement communities in Asheville.

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 6.2, Asheville rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Asheville, NC

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Asheville, rates a region on a scale of 1 (less healthful) to 10 (more healthful). It's specifically tailored to anyone looking for retirement communities. The HealthScore for Asheville 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 8.5, Asheville rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults seeking retirement communities. At 395.2 physicians per capita, Asheville scores 79.2 percent better than the national average. Asheville trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 30.8 percent, with 0.9, and scores 88.7 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 36.8. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Asheville is 77.7 years -- on par with the rest of the country. Air quality in Asheville -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is average, and water quality -- another key measure of Asheville's environmental health -- is 16.4 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Asheville, NC	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	395.2	220.5
Geriatricians	0.9	1.3
Cardiologists	12.8	7.7
Oncologists	9	3.5
Orthopedists	14.1	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Asheville, NC

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Asheville, 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 retirement communities. The CostScore for Asheville is based on data such as the average monthly cost of retirement communities in the region, the cost of housing and healthcare, regional tax rates, and other key factors. With a CostScore of 4.8, Asheville is on par with the national average for retirement communities.

Because of the broad range of housing, service, and healthcare options available at retirement communities, no average monthly cost data is available for Asheville. 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 retirement communities in Asheville to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Asheville indexes at 7.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs index at 101 of 10, roughly the same as the national average, and the cost of housing index is 113 of 10, which mirrors the rest of the country.

Cost of Living	Asheville, NC
Aggregate Index	107
Healthcare Index	101
Housing Index	113
Food Index	98
Utilities Index	113
Transportation Index	98

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Asheville, NC

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Asheville. 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 retirement communities. The LivabilityScore for Asheville is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 4.5, Asheville is on par with the national average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 212 days each year in Asheville, 3.4 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 28°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Asheville 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 Asheville is 75.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 75.0 percent higher than average. At $39,012 per year, the population of Asheville earns a lower than average median household income. Asheville has an unemployment rate of 6.90 percent, roughly 24.2 percent lower than the national average. And about 17.93 percent of the population in Asheville is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 36.2 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Asheville	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0.2	136.1
Libraries	5.6	18.8
Places of Worship	150.7	220.5
Public Transit	48.9	110.4
Grocery Stores	238	97.7
Pharmacies	27.7	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65