Retirement Communities in Clark County, Washington

CaringScore for Clark County, WA

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 Clark 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 Clark.

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 4.6, Clark is on par with the national average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Clark County, WA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Clark, 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 Clark 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, Clark is on par with the national average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults. At just 146.8 physicians per capita, Clark trails the national average by 33.4 percent. Clark trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 15.4 percent, with 1.1, and scores 44.6 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 10.8. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Clark is 79.4 years -- 1.9 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Clark -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 15.7 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Clark's environmental health -- trails the national average by 14.5 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Clark County, WA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	146.8	220.5
Geriatricians	1.1	1.3
Cardiologists	3.4	7.7
Oncologists	1.6	3.5
Orthopedists	4.6	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Clark County, WA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Clark, 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 Clark 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 3.6, the costs associated with retirement communities in Clark are generally more expensive than the national average.

Because of the broad range of housing, service, and healthcare options available at retirement communities, no average monthly cost data is available for Clark. 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 Clark to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Clark indexes at 16.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 12.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 44.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Clark County, WA
Aggregate Index	116
Healthcare Index	112
Housing Index	144
Food Index	108
Utilities Index	93
Transportation Index	113

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Clark County, WA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Clark. 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 Clark is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 5.1, Clark 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 142 days each year in Clark, 30.7 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 33°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Clark than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 79°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Clark 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 $60,735 per year, the population of Clark earns a better than average median household income. Clark has an unemployment rate of 10.50 percent, roughly 15.4 percent higher than the national average. And about 11.33 percent of the population in Clark is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which trails the national average by 13.9 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Clark	Nat'l Avg
Parks	1.7	136.1
Libraries	2.3	18.8
Places of Worship	61.4	220.5
Public Transit	281.1	110.4
Grocery Stores	76	97.7
Pharmacies	10.5	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65