Retirement Communities in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

CaringScore for Dauphin County, PA

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 Dauphin 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 Dauphin.

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 6.5, Dauphin rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Dauphin County, PA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Dauphin, 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 Dauphin 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 7.9, Dauphin 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 334 physicians per capita, Dauphin scores 51.5 percent better than the national average. Dauphin trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 38.5 percent, with 0.8, and scores 105.1 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 40. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Dauphin is 77.5 years -- 0.5 percent lower than most of the country. Air quality in Dauphin -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 80.7 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Dauphin's environmental health -- is 23.6 percent above average.

Doctors Per Capita	Dauphin County, PA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	334	220.5
Geriatricians	0.8	1.3
Cardiologists	19.8	7.7
Oncologists	8.5	3.5
Orthopedists	10.9	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Dauphin County, PA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Dauphin, 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 Dauphin 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 5.5, Dauphin 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 Dauphin. 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 Dauphin to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Dauphin is roughly equal to the national average. Average healthcare costs are 5.0 percent cheaper than the national average, and the cost of housing is 19.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Dauphin County, PA
Aggregate Index	97
Healthcare Index	95
Housing Index	81
Food Index	97
Utilities Index	118
Transportation Index	107

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Dauphin County, PA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Dauphin. 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 Dauphin is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 5.6, Dauphin 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 197 days each year in Dauphin, 3.9 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 22°F in January, winters in Dauphin tend to be similar to 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 index in Dauphin is 4 out of 10, which is about average, and the property crime rate is 25.0 percent lower than average. At $52,146 per year, the population of Dauphin earns a median household income on par with the national average. Dauphin has an unemployment rate of 7.60 percent, roughly 16.5 percent lower than the national average. And about 14.10 percent of the population in Dauphin is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which matches the national average.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Dauphin	Nat'l Avg
Parks	5.7	136.1
Libraries	4.3	18.8
Places of Worship	109.2	220.5
Public Transit	87.6	110.4
Grocery Stores	82.1	97.7
Pharmacies	13.6	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65