Retirement Communities in Dover, Delaware

CaringScore for Dover, DE

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 Dover 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 Dover.

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 4.1, Dover rates below average for those seeking retirement communities.

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

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Dover, DE

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Dover, 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 Dover 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 4.1, Dover rates below average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults. At just 155.3 physicians per capita, Dover trails the national average by 29.6 percent. Dover trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 53.8 percent, with 0.6, and scores 20.0 percent below the national average in specialists per capita, with 15.6. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Dover is 76.6 years -- 1.7 percent lower than most of the country. Air quality in Dover -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 56.6 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of Dover's environmental health -- trails the national average by 41.8 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Dover, DE	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	155.3	220.5
Geriatricians	0.6	1.3
Cardiologists	6.9	7.7
Oncologists	3.1	3.5
Orthopedists	5	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Dover, DE

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Dover, 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 Dover 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 4.5, Dover 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 Dover. 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 Dover to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Dover indexes at 7.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 6.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing index is 110 of 10, which mirrors the rest of the country.

Cost of Living	Dover, DE
Aggregate Index	107
Healthcare Index	106
Housing Index	110
Food Index	114
Utilities Index	111
Transportation Index	101

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Dover, DE

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Dover. 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 Dover is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 3.6, Dover rates below average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 198 days each year in Dover, 3.4 percent fewer sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 26°F in January, winters tend to be milder in Dover than in other parts of the country, and summers often mirror nationwide seasonal trends, averaging 87°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Dover is 75.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 75.0 percent higher than average. At $44,519 per year, the population of Dover earns a lower than average median household income. Dover has an unemployment rate of 9.50 percent, roughly equal to the national average. And about 14.41 percent of the population in Dover 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	Dover	Nat'l Avg
Parks	8	136.1
Libraries	3.2	18.8
Places of Worship	86	220.5
Public Transit	0	110.4
Grocery Stores	164.1	97.7
Pharmacies	24.6	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65