Retirement Communities in Birmingham, Michigan

CaringScore for Birmingham, MI

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 Birmingham 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 Birmingham.

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 6.8, Birmingham rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Birmingham, MI

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Birmingham, 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 Birmingham 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 8.8, Birmingham 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 456.1 physicians per capita, Birmingham scores 106.8 percent better than the national average. Birmingham scores 115.4 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 2.8, and scores 86.7 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 36.4. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Birmingham is 79.4 years -- 1.9 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Birmingham -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 26.5 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Birmingham's environmental health -- trails the national average by 50.9 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Birmingham, MI	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	456.1	220.5
Geriatricians	2.8	1.3
Cardiologists	14.7	7.7
Oncologists	7.3	3.5
Orthopedists	11.7	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Birmingham, MI

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Birmingham, 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 Birmingham 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 5.1, Birmingham 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 Birmingham. 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 Birmingham to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Birmingham indexes at 25.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 5.0 percent cheaper than the national average, and the cost of housing is 99.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Birmingham, MI
Aggregate Index	125
Healthcare Index	95
Housing Index	199
Food Index	92
Utilities Index	104
Transportation Index	96

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Birmingham, MI

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Birmingham. 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 Birmingham is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 6, Birmingham rates above average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 176 days each year in Birmingham, 14.1 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 16°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Birmingham than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 83°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Birmingham 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 $86,811 per year, the population of Birmingham earns a better than average median household income. Birmingham has an unemployment rate of 10.20 percent, roughly 12.1 percent higher than the national average. And about 14.61 percent of the population in Birmingham is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 11.0 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Birmingham	Nat'l Avg
Parks	5.2	136.1
Libraries	3.4	18.8
Places of Worship	48	220.5
Public Transit	24.7	110.4
Grocery Stores	258.8	97.7
Pharmacies	26.4	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65